Security for All: Our Shared Responsibility

The thoughts of this summer were on my mind as I was out on vacation the last few days, my summer stretched from ?the far stretches of the globe in South Africa to the bright lights of Vegas. Along the way, I was reminded that while we are living in a world in which we are used to having access to the latest technology, there are still those who do not share this same level of access. As we continue to innovate, we need to ensure we are bringing everyone along in their journey, while also addressing the culture change that needs to accompany technology advancements.

In July, while meeting with customers in South Africa, I was inspired by seeing what can happen when individuals with an inherent desire to make their country a better place, work for the greater good. The CISO of the City of Johannesburg, who is truly a visionary, is one such example. This CISO wanted to design a best-in-class security solution and architecture to future-proof his systems against certain human behaviors. He knew the system needed to account for behavioral threats that are inherent in a developing region. To accomplish this, he saw the need for an advanced technological solution with automation and fail-safes that would prevent access by unauthorized individuals. Another great story is the CISO of Standard Bank, which is the largest bank in South Africa. He has proactively built a community of CISOs that regularly engage with each other and share best practices. So during a recent crisis, he reached out to his peers – many of them his competitors – to help them overcome a major IT incident. As the leader of the largest entity, he feels a responsibility to help his peers. He knows what impacts one impacts all. From a technological perspective, these acts of collaboration serve as a powerful example of how organizations who may be more mature in their security can help bring everyone along. A rising tide lifts all boats.

?A week later I was at BlackHat, surrounded by people on the bleeding edge of technology, with a palpable buzz around AI and all its potential. Yet despite this excitement, there are more questions than answers. AI has the ability to do some amazing things, but wielding this power takes training and depth to understand what it’s capable of. Because it’s so new in the security world, those who do understand must use it as a teaching moment for the industry as a whole, allowing us to embrace the best parts, stay out of trouble in the areas we don’t yet understand, and help bring everyone along. We need tangible outcomes from this technology. As well, AI adoption requires a cultural shift in the way it gets used. People are used to dichotomous outcomes with software where there are only two possible results. As I wrote about in an earlier blog, you won’t get this with AI. AI operates in the gray areas, offering recommendations and guiding focus rather than giving you definitive answers. Success with AI requires a shift in mindset and processes to embrace these nuances.

From all of this, I walked away knowing we have to find the way to bottle this all up and make it simpler for those not on the bleeding edge. These amazing discussions can’t be viable for just a small few. Security is a game of the weakest link. When you look at a country, or market, or animal kingdom, it’s generally the most vulnerable or isolated entities who face the greatest risks. The same holds true in security. If you want to make security work, we need to bring along those who need help. Instead of trying to solve problems for a small set, we need to solve the problems for the masses. AI can get us there, but it requires a culture shift. It’s about the right use of AI in security and for security. But the reason for doing so needs to be about scale.

One of our leaders tends to quote a proverb often, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is so true for AI and security. By working together, we can build a more secure future for all.