Originally published on LinkedIn · January 1, 2020.
As I think about my 2020 personal and professional goals, I think about what I was blessed to learn in 2019. And one of the things that surprised me was experiencing a MAJOR issue with the connection between security and “the business.”
I cannot count how many times I experienced, heard, or saw in writing that “the business” was fed up, frustrated, and outright angry with “security.” I have seen this in the NGO world, SMBs, large corporations, and even government.
When I say “security,” I am talking about many areas — organizationally, technically, and procedurally — and mainly about overall program requirements, not the individual professionals.
When I say “the business,” I am talking about many parts of the organization. From my own complaints about the number of security-related processes running on my laptop, consuming gigabytes of RAM and killing productivity — to people demanding the word “breach” not appear in writing — to many other very scary statements. But are they right? I think so, in many ways.
The business is frustrated with FUD. With APT language. With the regulation hammer. With requirements that have no basis of real need. Even with too many security tools running on their laptops. The FICO survey data on this was eye-opening — and it is not just enterprise, it is happening in the consumer world too.
So in 2020, I have a lot to change in my solutions, my messaging, and my delivery — in light of this new business attitude, regardless of whether it is justified in every instance. Twenty-five-plus years in security, and 2019 is the first year I have been part of this level of frustration and very vocal views coming in from the business. I get it. I was part of the problem.
But I am not going to dwell on how we got here. 2020 is the opportunity for a fresh start.
Looking in the mirror first — challenging manufacturers and other security professionals — let’s take a deep breath, pause, and rethink how we are serving our clients. 2020 will NOT be good for security or budgets if this trend continues.