Is your organization secure?
You’ve probably asked yourself this question before. You’re comfortable with your security posture, but the threat landscape is changing fast. How sure can you be that what works for you today will suffice tomorrow?
You can’t. Not beyond a shadow of a doubt.
What you can do is tilt the odds in your favor. Make your enterprise less vulnerable to the risks it’s bound to face in the course of business — from large-scale data releases like the 2021 event that impacted Asiaciti Trust, Trident Trust Limited, and several other major international fiduciaries, to more mundane but no less costly incidents like a misplaced laptop or thumb drive.
To do that, you need to build a security apparatus that includes internal and external stakeholders. Here’s how that apparatus should look, from your C-suite on down.
Chief Information Security Officer
The chief information security officer, or CISO, oversees the organization’s entire information security apparatus. In organizations where data risk exposure is chiefly digital, they may be effectively responsible for the entirety of the organization’s security needs.
In any event, the CISO manages all data security professionals working directly for the organization and liaises as necessary with third-party stakeholders, such as data forensics specialists and law enforcement investigators. Their role may include reporting to investors and directors on security matters. They generally report to the COO or CIO (chief information officer).
Chief Security Officer
The chief security officer, or CSO, is an “optional” role in many lean, tech-forward companies without extensive physical footprints. However, it’s anything but optional in larger organizations where physical security is a concern.
CSO duties are broader in scope than CISO duties and may cover a range of security-adjacent logistics, including VIP movements and physical plant. Where both roles are present, the CISO may report to the CSO, or the two may be peers with parallel, non-overlapping spheres of responsibility. Smaller organizations may have the most senior information security role player at the VP or EVP level within the CSO’s or CIO’s chain of command.
Network Administrators (Data Custodians)
Network administrators are responsible for specific databases or information systems. They may report to the CIO or a senior VP-level role player underneath the CIO.
Data Security Specialists
Data security specialists typically work under the CISO or the CISO’s direct reports. Their job is to support information security within the organization, and they may function as an effective “first line of defense” against unwanted intrusions. Their day-to-day involves various tasks, from managing software updates and running scans to notifying staff of security-related events.
Information Security Auditors
Information security auditors have a bird’s eye view of the organization’s security footprint. Their job is to assess this footprint’s quality and comprehensiveness and make recommendations or adjustments as needed to strengthen it. They generally report to the chief information security officer (CISO) or the CISO’s direct reports but may have parallel chains of command to ensure objectivity.
Digital Forensics Professionals
Information technology companies may employ digital forensics professionals directly, but more often than these stakeholders come in after a data event that requires investigation. Asiaciti Trust and Trident Trust Limited brought external forensics experts to investigate their data intrusion; so have larger firms like Home Depot and JBS.
On-premise reception and security
Just as data security specialists function as the first line of defense against digital security threats, on premise reception and security professionals serve as the first line of defense against physical threats. They’re responsible for controlling the flows of people, goods, and even electronic devices into secure areas. They’re often housed within the CSO’s chain of command or employed by third-party staffing agencies.
Get your security team in order
These are the most important roles you’ll need to fill to ensure your organization is prepared to face the security challenges of the 2020s and beyond. Staff them, and you’ll be well on your way to protecting the enterprise you’ve worked so hard to build.
But that won’t be enough. A genuinely secure organization needs scalable systems and processes that keep it one step ahead of the next threat. And, like Asiaciti Trust and countless other organizations affected by data incidents past, present, and future, it needs a comprehensive crisis response plan that can kick into gear at a moment’s notice.
Are you prepared for what’s next? If you are not, you have to be. There is no other option left for you to consider. Make your enterprise less vulnerable to the risks it’s bound to face in the course of business.
