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Security is not a project
An average organization has more than 50 technologies deployed that assist in keeping its most valued assets protected against a variety of attacks and adversaries but not enough experts to manage them. Moreover, how do organizations align their compliance efforts, defensive controls, and other security efforts with the business’ goals?
Over more than 15 years providing a wide range of security services across all verticals, I have learned that there is no easy answer. On the comtinuum between no and 100% security, it is hard to pinpoint what “good enough” is. It is even more difficult to do this with a budget that is aligned with the actual threat landscape and the business reality you function in. At NRJ Security, we believe that we operate from a value proposition that provides our clients exactly that: a clear understanding of the relevant threat landscape, a reasoned security approach, and expertise across the board. In a market where it becomes harder and harder to attract – let alone retain – security professionals, our virtual CISO services aim to fill a critical void for many organizations. The focus is three-fold.
Firstly, organizations around the globe are facing growingly complex compliance requirements. PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, etc. – if not addressed efficiently – increase costs significantly for a security department. They could even result in additional risk exposure through fines and lost business revenue. We help our clients to understand their compliance requirements and identify opportunities for improvements through focused efforts. From there a plan is drafted that aims at implementing provable security throughout the organization. The goal being to create a reliable and efficient reporting framework that doesn’t only target auditors and regulators, but the organization as a whole.
Secondly, our experts embed throughout the organization in order to gain a full understanding of what drives the business. This not only teaches us what needs to be protected but also how it should be protected. There is nothing more detrimental to a security program than controls that are implemented in such a way that they hamper the money-making engine. This goes for preventative controls but equally for policies, compliance efforts, and incident detection and response.
Lastly, we focus on communications. From awareness programs, over policies, through to program KPIs and KRIs, process measurement, and control effectiveness, data needs to be analyzed, reported, and provided that it helps the business to make informed decisions. This means that we create a business-driven language that supports a conversation about security throughout the organization.
Security is not a project. It is a conscious effort leveraging expertise and buy-in from all levels of an organization. It can not be done without technology, but it starts with people and understanding the intricacies of a business.
