Author: Barb Dossetter, Delivery Director

I was speaking with Paul Swarbrick while we were preparing the Security workshop for the Business as Unusual Conference. Life is certainly getting more complicated with regards to the demands of increased security in an environment where people are demanding more openness and the tools that we have are encouraging collaboration. On one hand, we have the benefits (and admit it, sheer fun) of social media. And most of us participate in Facebook, with its embarrassing pictures, Twitter with its instant, uncensored access to information and activities and a million apps on the IPhone that can tell us everything we ever didn’t know we needed to know to live. On the other hand, we have the reputational and financial risk of data ‘escaping’ from the organisation and the fact appearing on the front page of the tabloid press.

Paul recently presented at one of our breakfasts, which is where he and I first met. The diversity of opinion at breakfast was very interesting but probably predictable given the wide range of members there. Government, energy and manufacturing and distribution all represented. So we lined Paul for both a workshop and for expert sessions at the Annual Conference. By the way, the expert sessions allow attendees to book 30 minutes, one on one, with our subject matter experts.

We talked about the kinds of questions that his clients, and our members ask. These are the questions that we will work together on, during the workshop, with the intention of hearing how others have answered them in their own organisations.

So, in your organisation, who decides on what are the acceptable levels of risk. How does IT and others communicate risk and the implications of the risk decision to people in the organisation who don’t have ‘risk’ or ‘security’ as a key part of their title? What technology should be allowed? Who’s technology? When is it a good idea for information to be taken out of the organisation? When does that level of risk become acceptable? Whether you are coming to the Business as Unusual Conference or not, we’d be interested in your opinion and your experiences. But, remember security, and don’t tell us things that should not be published!!!!

Tags: Barb's Blog, Business as Unusual, Conference, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter