What does it take to get attention for IT initiatives in today's enterprise? In most cases, according to Symantec Senior Director Jennie Grimes, it means making a compelling business case—and getting the right information to the right people in the right language. |
IT risk management initiatives are definitely worthy of executive attention. Our economy is increasingly dependent on the Internet and IT systems, making the risks in these systems far more visible and significant than ever. But, it's a discipline with a myriad of stakeholders: CIOs, CISOs, enterprise risk management teams, compliance and regulation staff, and internal and external auditors.
Step #1: Choose your words wisely
There are two types of CIOs—infrastructure managers and strategic thinkers. The latter will succeed with their IT risk management agenda because they speak in terms of business advantages, not outages.
For example, rather than talking about a "zero day threat," consider simulating the impact of a potential incident in terms of potential business loss. Instead of talking about RTOs and RPOs, speak in terms of lost revenue and customers during an outage. Instead of highlighting unimplemented ISO controls, speak about the lost effectiveness of employees who need to share information both inside and outside the firewall. It also doesn't hurt to point out the impact on productivity when employees can't effectively share information effectively.
Step #2: Use a High-Medium-Low spectrum of potential business loss
Part of using the right language is moving away from absolutes. Inevitably, a single prediction of loss will start a battle of statistics and probability debate and your request will get lost in the process. Instead, provide stakeholders with a variety of scenarios and have data to back it up. Consider whether you are a low risk company, moderately tolerant, or highly