#123 - Accepted Cyber Strategy (with Branden Newman)

In this episode of "CISO Tradecraft," G Mark Hardy discusses how to build an effective cyber strategy that executives will appreciate. He breaks down the four questions (Who, What, Why, and How) that need to be answered to create a successful strategy and emphasizes the importance of understanding how the company makes money and what critical business processes and IT systems support the mission. Later in the episode, Branden Newman shares his career path to becoming a CISO and his approach to building an effective cyber strategy. Newman stresses the importance of communication skills and the ability to influence people as the most critical skills for a CISO. He also shares his advice on how to effectively influence executives as a CISO.

Full Transcripts - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nFxpOxVl6spkK-Y8GLU5q2f6R_4VD-a2

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:06 The Four Questions (Who, What, Why, and How)
• 08:11 Building an accepted cyber strategy
• 09:19 Importance of communication skills for a CISO
• 10:19 Understanding financial statements
• 12:47 Following the money
• 14:09 Reputation and cybersecurity
• 15:24 Getting executive buy-in into cybersecurity
• 15:57 Building Trust with Executives
• 16:45 Security Enables New Elements of Business
• 17:13 Why Cybersecurity Gets Ignored
• 20:07 Framing Cybersecurity as a Competitive Advantage
• 21:19 Mistakes CISOs Make When Communicating with Executives
• 22:54 Telling Stories to Communicate with Executives
• 24:09 Using Business Cases and Examples
• 27:28 The Importance of Listening to the Executives
• 29:31 Making Informed Risk-Based Decisions
• 30:54 Building Trust and Champions
• 32:55 Building a Network of Trust
• 35:13 Being Pragmatic