What's REALLY keeping you up at night?

There’s no public 911 or emergency hotline for things cyber.  Instead, we have perhaps learned to rely on terms like Help Desk, 24/7 NOC and SOC for day and night emergencies.

If people have a cyber problem, they don’t call the police – they turn to their IT folks for help. And while people are getting the help they need, there’s still a big problem developing.

Cyber crime is accelerating at a rapid pace, and attackers are continuing to target critical systems that impact our way of life.

The pandemic hasn’t just forced us to redefine the perimeters around our data – it’s made us look at how interconnected our systems are, and re-evaluate whether we’re equipped to face major security threats like this.

However, this shouldn’t stop us from preparing to defend ourselves against future incidents. 

The question many CEOs ask is:  "Who can help me solve my cyber problems so as a business leader, I can sleep better at night?"

My answer often begins with one question to a CEO or C-Suite member:  "In plain language, can you describe to me what is the REAL thing keeping you up at night? What asset(s) are you actually trying to protect?"

I once asked the CEO of a major security company this same question. You know .. The kind of company that does central station and home alarm systems.  He built his business up to protecting 5,000 homes from physical intrusion.  His answer was curious to me.. His answer was "We hold our clients social security numbers and their credit card information and I am afraid that a hacker will steal them."

I then looked squarely into the CEO's eyes and asked, "Is protection of your client's credit card information really what you are most worried about?" The CEO responded "Yes, Jerry.. for real.. that is what is bothering me." I said "I have no doubt but isn't it possible that you are really worried about protecting something much bigger?  Much more impactful? The CEO asked: "What can that possibly be Jerry?" 

My answer: "YOUR REPUTATION"

I continued: "As a security company, you are in the business of keeping your clients safe.  I think perhaps.. just maybe... the truth is what you are most worried about in terms of a cyber security event is the fear you then must comply with the state notification laws. These laws require you to notify all your clients that there has been a breach of their information at your company, on your watch. Hence, damage to your reputation buzzing through the very community you are charged with protecting."

The CEO looked at me, nodded his head and sheepishly agreed.  I said .. "OK... now that we really know precisely what is actually keeping you up at night and know what we are solving for, ... Let's get to work!"

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What is the REAL thing that is keeping YOU up at night?