Big Data Trends 2015

Security is about people

It’s less important how a security organization is structured

and more important that the organization has the

right people to implement security successfully, meaning

individuals who take ownership of security and build

good relationships with others in the organization and

external partners. Dell’s Jeff Chumbley noted,

“Organizations come and go, evolve in shape […]

I think everybody’s company is reorganized all the

time. The effectiveness, I think, comes within the

ownership of the individuals that are part of that

team and having a clear common goal […] And if

you want to talk about challenges in the security

organization, or compliance, or whatever you are

talking about, it’s finding the talent […] I need

people that have the technical base and the business

acumen. It’s that tie. I can go hire geek after geek

after geek to do penetration testing or application

assurance, but if there is no business acumen there,

I don’t know how much value that provides.”

But security professionals who have technical and engineering

skills—who understand how to explain the

risk-reward trade-off and can sell solutions within the organization—

are difficult to find. Align Technology’s Jim

McMahon related his search for an information security

manager: “I have talked to 32 candidates in the last four

weeks—some incredibly bright people who can define

the very best way to trigger a firewall; people who have

the ability to take and meet a virus head-to-head with

sword in hand, [but] who couldn’t sell me a piece of cake if

I was starving.” Bose’s Terri Curran said, “I would throw

out any of the best and brightest technicians that I met for

one person that could tell me about a manufacturing line.

We don’t have any middle ground with people understanding

the business. I’m talking about security people. I

don’t think security people understand business.”

Preventing burnout and managing a healthy rate of

turnover is a critical organizational issue for security. As

Cisco’s Stewart put it, “Frankly, the other thing that I

would offer up as the number one threat to my team is

[waning] morale. Keeping awake and alive and passionate

about what is fundamentally feeling like a losing battle.

And so a 15 percent refresh in the management and in the

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