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How to Bridge the Gap Between IT and Business Leaders in Cybersecurity
As the CTO of Calendar, a unified calendars platform, I’ve witnessed firsthand how crucial it is to bridge the gap between IT and business leaders in cybersecurity. It’s no longer a responsibility solely retained by the IT department; every team member is impacted, and every department must be aligned with cybersecurity priorities.
To effectively integrate cybersecurity into daily operations, we must align IT and business leaders on their shared goals and objectives. This synergy enables the organization to not only protect its assets but also achieve strategic business goals.
In my article today, I’ll provide four crucial steps to bridge this gap:
1. Decipher cyber-speak into common language
It’s essential to understand that technical jargon can be overwhelming for non-technical leaders. To foster collaboration and buy-in from executive teams, we must reframe cybersecurity in a way that resonates with their comfort zone. This means leveraging financial executives’ understanding of ROI or value-based priorities by explaining how cybersecurity risks can threaten shareholder value and consumer confidence.
To achieve this, I recommend inviting cybersecurity leaders to provide education and updates during weekly executive meetings. Deliver engaging, bite-sized chunks of information that reinforce recent presentations and avoid diving too deep into technical details. This approach will help business leaders grasp the gravity of cyber risk and make informed decisions about cybersecurity investments.
2. Align cybersecurity risks with business risks
It’s imperative to educate non-technical leaders on the reality of cyber risk. IT leaders must unpack the vast global scale of cyber threats, highlighting how they can impact not only the organization but also its people and clients. Regulatory expectations will undoubtedly increase as cyber risk becomes a new frontier in criminal activity.
To facilitate this understanding, start with a familiar risk such as a data breach that can become more likely with open system access. Explain to leaders how unmanaged data exposure would incite beyond the initial risk of data loss. Customer trust, shareholder value, and lost productivity are just a few examples of the far-reaching consequences of a breach.
It’s crucial to convey the lasting repercussions, including public relations issues, brand reputation damage, and employee morale degradation. This will help leaders grasp the true extent of cyber risk and its direct impact on their departments’ goals.
3. Build relationships to identify business leadership priorities and concerns
Regular meetings with non-technical leaders are vital to understand what keeps them up at night. By fostering open dialogue and actively listening to their concerns, IT leaders can become essential partners in achieving their success.
Conversations may revolve around customer care teams interacting with sensitive customer data or personally identifiable information. This sparks a productive discussion about access controls and internal data transfer protocols. Identifying potential gaps and linking them to the company’s strategic plan will help align team priorities and garner support for budget discussions.
4. Instill a cyber-aware organizational culture
Outside the boardroom lies a vast network of employees whose cybersecurity behaviors directly impact the business. Collaborating with HR teams, I recommend integrating security education into employee expectations. Naming a cybersecurity champion to guide training modules and regular communication on best practices is crucial.
Meet with department leads and frontline managers to engage them in your training goals. As you did with executive leaders, align how cybersecurity matters to their team’s daily work. Invite them to collaborate on targeted training in both systems and behaviors, providing insights that might have otherwise remained inaccessible.
To facilitate this effort, ensure sessions are accessible, simplify topics using relatable scenarios and humor, and include knowledge checks to foster engagement and identify potential risks or gaps. Layered with in-person sessions, engaging activities, and online experiences, learning becomes fun and relevant across the organization.
By acknowledging the shared responsibility of cybersecurity, organizations can achieve greater success and build a stronger, more resilient future.
Source: www.forbes.com
