Transforming Security from Obstacle to Business Enabler

When I joined McAfee three months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that McAfee operates in a flexible and supportive technology environment where security is applied but discrete and transparent in everything we do, from the use of personal smartphones to Facebook to instant messaging (IM). Our CIO challenges his security architects and risk management teams to give us the freedom to do our jobs while still protecting the business and proving it every step of the way. Their charter is to become trusted and empowering custodians of our information assets and security.
That challenge is the same one being issued by CIOs around the world: how do we transform security from a perceived obstacle into a supportive, dutiful business enabler? How do IT teams allow the adoption of new technologies without the risk of opening security gaps and ending up with egg on their face or worse?
It starts by acknowledging two realities: the art of hacking has evolved from being a mostly harmless hobby to a huge, profitable industry. According to a report from Purdue University’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, companies surveyed estimated they lost a combined $4.6 billion worth of intellectual property last year alone and spent approximately $600 million repairing damage from data breaches. A trillion dollars every year! This doesn’t even include the cost (continue reading...)