GSOC and Geopolitics : Exploring The Future of the GSOC Impact on a Global Scale.

As GSOC practitioners, we are constantly faced with shifting global impacts, emerging conflicts, economics and trade in consistent flux. These events can dynamically shift a companies risk appetite, leading to a change in procedural posture which may have long lasting impacts across multiple business units.

The GSOC has historically been an under-utilized and often under funded branch of many security teams, but that legacy logic is rapidly changing. From my time at Twilio and now with ServiceNow , the GSOC has been the most critical of tools in the security arsenal.

1. Threat Analysis : Proactive over Reactive

Geopolitical awareness is essential for assessing risks associated with regional conflicts, political instability, and economic sanctions. Helping the business interpret these threats in a meaningful and impactful way goes beyond simply regurgitating news articles. It encompasses deep, intimate knowledge of regions and the complexities they may present to the business.

Proactively identifying relevant threats for a business vs reactive, allows for the contextualization of these threats into actionable data to the business allows the business and its continuity teams to be nimble in mitigating financial and customer impact. Understanding the threat before it becomes an impact gives the decisive edge to the business.

2. Team Talent : Getting the Experts

In times of geopolitical tension and shifts, having subject matter experts who understand the nuances of global situations can significantly improve the decision making and assessment of crisis implications to the business. During my time at Twilio , I had inherited a GSOC staffed by a major guarding company. While well meaning, they often struggled to identify geopolitical risks and threats across the globe in a timely manner. Soon after, we shifted to a new vendor who brought the expertise needed to smartly and adeptly engage and elevate geopolitical understanding to the business.

Fast forward to my current role ServiceNow , where we have reinvented a struggling GSOC into a trusted security partner, who is able to leverage their deep institutional knowledge and vast bodies of experience in the geopolitical work environment.

3. Intelligence Gathering: Knowing Your Market

Often times in my experience a GSOC is simply leveraged as a reactive, CCTV monitoring entity without much thought given to intelligence collection. If intelligence collection is leveraged, its usually through alerts that are populated through one of the numerous platform providers.

With the new GSOC model at ServiceNow the team intimately understands the "threat market" and what its customers need most. What is impactful in Amsterdam may not be impactful in New York City. Having a GSOC who understand local impacts and perceived risks allows the team to provided custom, catered intelligence and geopolitical analysis that empowers internal customers to make the most informed decisions to a wide employee base.

4. Cross-Cultural Communication: Be the Unifier

A GSOC fluent in geopolitical customs and contexts enhances collaboration and communication by allowing fruitful relationships to blossom while navigating politically complex environments with skill. Cultural nuances and sensitivities are key to remaining a trusted and informative party. Communicating effectively fosters the facilitation of trust in the GSOC and its understanding of often charged situations and risks.

A GSOC needs to be able to facilitate trust and this is done by establishing credibility early and often, through understanding of regional historical context. By acting as a unifier and mediator in tense situations, the GSOC can promote actionable resolutions and help de-escalate potential conflicts, ultimately contributing to faster engagement of the GSOC.

5. Adaptive Strategies: Be a Force Multiplier

Geopolitical landscapes are dynamic, requiring security teams to be flexible and adaptive, whether through trend monitoring, resilience planning and continuous learning. Staying abreast of emerging trends, shifts in global alliances or trade policies allow the GSOC to assist the business in adjusting its strategies.

Fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation allows the GSOC to continue to refine its strategies and engagement in geopolitical reporting to the business, mitigating risk before it happens, allowing the GSOC to continue to adjust its focus on business requirements in the ever changing political landscape.

The GSOC Moving Forward

In today's rapidly changing global landscape, GSOC practitioners play a crucial role in navigating emerging conflicts and shifting economic conditions that can impact a company’s risk appetite and procedural posture. Historically under-utilized, the GSOC is evolving into an indispensable component of security operations, as demonstrated by my experiences at Twilio and ServiceNow . By focusing on proactive threat analysis, leveraging expert talent, enhancing intelligence gathering, fostering cross-cultural communication, and developing adaptive strategies, the GSOC can provide actionable insights that empower businesses to mitigate risks effectively. This transformation not only establishes the GSOC as a trusted partner but also positions it as a vital asset in ensuring organizational resilience in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.