Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2016. Read them in this 8th Annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Jeff Schilling, CSO, Armor
Next-Generation CEOs Must Be Digitally Aware
In 2016, the next generation of CEOs will be more digitally aware than their predecessors. The CEO of years’ past, who never had a laptop on his desk or carried a smartphone, is over.
This isn’t about a cliché tech startup founder who shows up to meetings in a hoodie and Chuck Taylors. No, the 40-something CEO of the future is smart, sharp, open-minded and passionate about technology. The Internet has been core to their entire life. I think I am literally the last graduating class (1988) who typed college term papers on a typewriter.
This new group – who is more digitally aware – is already filling power positions and will be implementing policies that call for greater connectivity and collaboration. One of the cornerstones of this next generation of digitally aware CEOs? Security.
From the office to the board room, security will be a Tier 1 topic for the “new-age” decision-makers. Why? Security has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line. According to British insurance firm Lloyd’s, cyber attacks cost businesses some $400 billion annually.
Tech focus
In a 2015 U.S. study, PWC found digital technology to be at the core of the CEO mindset. Mobile technology topped the list to enhance customer engagement, which makes sense given that customers are the priority. But data mining (80 percent) and cybersecurity (78 percent) clearly help form the core focus. Focus doesn’t translate to appropriate strategy and action.
This thinking will, however, translate to proactive marching orders to the C-level leaders. CEOs will demand the C-Suite be more advanced than ever. They will require in-depth understanding of both technology and cybersecurity, given their importance to the health of an enterprise.
The right security strategy
It is a mistake, however, to assume the new wave of CEOs will have a different appreciation of cybersecurity. Legacy thinking – procuring a mishmash of poorly integrated security tools – could remain. Will they understand that the threat landscape has changed; one where new approaches are required and security is part of the design?
Like many market questions, the answer is likely somewhere in the middle. The true innovators will partner with elite cybersecurity experts to protect their critical data, workloads and brand. Others will believe – right or wrong – they can do it in-house (at many times the cost) and benefit from an improved security posture.
A fresh understanding
The good news? The next generation of industry leaders will better understand the magic that happens behind the computer screen. IT security professionals will be able to have increasingly intelligent conversations on risks and mitigation with this incoming generation of leaders.
They will not be required to translate highly technical conversations into shadow puppets and cartoons to get their points across. This will result in more collaboration, better understanding and synced agendas that align with both business and security objectives.
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About the Author
Jeff Schilling, CSO, Armor
Jeff Schilling (Colonel, Retired) serves as Armor’s chief security officer and is responsible for the cyber and physical security programs for the corporate environment and customer hosted capabilities. Previous to joining Armor, Jeff was the Director of the Global Incident Response practice for Dell SecureWorks where his team supported over 300 customers with incident response planning, capabilities development, digital forensics investigations and active incident management. Jeff retired from the US Army after 24 years of service in July of 2012. In his last assignment, Jeff was the Director of the Army’s global Security Operations Center under US Army Cyber Command.
