The CISO Evolution

CHAPTER 1Financial Principles

Embrace Reality and Deal with It.

— Ray Dalio

Opportunity

It's easy to get distracted by how you think things should be. Yet, it is critical to understand how they really are. Early in my career, I often identified ways that would make my work more efficient. When there was a dependency on resources I didn't have, I usually stewed in frustration about how stupid the people were who designed such a flawed system in the first place.

It wasn't until years later that I learned optimizing all parts of a system does not necessarily optimize the system itself. You see, every organization has a mission and limited resources. Today, nearly all organizations in the modern economy deliver value through technology. However, not all organizations and leaders agree upon the importance of cybersecurity.

As a cybersecurity leader, it's your job to educate, build consensus, and secure necessary resources. Organizational mission and cybersecurity goals must be aligned. I think Malcolm Harkins said it best: “We provide protection that enables information to flow through the organization, our partners, and our customers. We protect the technology that our organizations create to provide new experiences and opportunities for our customers.”¹

Now, imagine for a moment you are on vacation and you've decided to travel internationally. The country you're visiting speaks another language. You've done your part to learn a few keywords before your arrival, so you have ...