I was at the RSA Conference in San Francisco last week and I’d like to report that the Information Security economy is booming. With record numbers of attendees and exhibitors, the buzz around security has never been stronger.
All of the news regarding attacks has created a lot of momentum. Most of Gotham’s large customers deal with significant incidents on a near daily basis, and even smaller clients have seen serious incidents over the last year.
This increased pressure on cyber security now has board-level awareness. And with that awareness comes budget.
This may seem like a boon, but I have a word of warning about loose budget strings. In the mid-nineties I met with the head of IT for a very successful investment bank and he gave me a lesson on the subject. “We have plenty of money, and price really won’t be an issue,” he said. Then he continued, “I know that you’re thinking that’s the best news you’ve heard all day, but here’s the rub – you cannot make a mistake or fail to deliver on everything you’ve promised. Not even once. No second chances.”
I’ve started referring to this current security spending spree as the Cyber-Surge. It reminds of the surge strategy the US has in the Middle East in situations where we thought we could make a large push in hopes of a more complete and final victory.
Given that, here are some things I think we should all make clear –
- Thanks for the money. We need it. There are real risks and the increased budget will allow us to make good investments against them.
- There are still going to be incidents. We are investing to make these incidents more like speed bumps and less like head on collisions.
- There is no lasting and final solution. We need process and people to augment the technology investments we’re making. The budgets aren’t going back to “normal”. This is, in fact, the new normal.
It’s exciting to be in the spotlight. It’s great to have a little budget for a change. Let’s try to set ourselves up for long-term success.