Balancing Privacy, Security and Access
FountainBlue's August 11 When She Speaks event was on the topic of Balancing Privacy, Security and Access.
We were fortunate to have such a passionate, experienced and diverse set of panelists, who covered a broad range of areas around the privacy, security and access topic. They shared some common characteristics:
They are curious about both the technologies and the business models, and industrious, intelligent and flexible enough to embrace new learnings and experiences so that they can fully explore business opportunities, and add value for their teams, their products, their companies, their industries.
They are forging new ground in many ways in the short term and for the long term, so that those who follow will be better prepared to successfully balance privacy, security and access.
They regularly navigate a delicate balance between being both philosophical and practical, both prescriptive and fluid, both confident in existing best practices and curious about how to stretch the envelope to the next level, and are both consistently principled and innovative.
Below is a compilation of their thoughts and advice on how to best balance privacy, security and access.
Consider the career and business opportunities ahead.
The technologies, the business models, the leaders are changing rapidly. There are tremendous opportunities ahead for every company, in every industry.
We have so quickly gone from wired to wireless, from wireless to mobile devices, from mobile to phone to IoT and are rapidly evolving still. We don't give up the old technologies, but do keep embracing the new ones!
Think about solutions that reach traditionally non-tech sectors. These are great, practical use cases for technology solutions.
In considering new opportunities and solutions, think about how technologies like Blockchain, Artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, might factor in.
Consulting and specialized services in this area may be on the rise, in response to the growing and complex demands.
Embrace best practices in managing the balance between privacy, security and access.
Define the norm, the standard processes and procedures in detail, in collaboration with other business and technology stakeholders. Clearly defining baseline requirements, worse-case scenarios, rapid-response protocols and the like, will help ensure that you keep your customers happy, your company compliant, your product secure. It will also help position your company for success, making good choices in the short term and for the long term.
Nurture partnerships and relationships to build a community of supporters representing a range of needs and motivations.
Communicate clearly, often and transparently. Opening the kimono and speaking candidly and authentically and inviting collaboration can work wonders in building empowerment and engagement, thereby distributing responsibility, commitment and ownership.
Speak to the overarching need for complying to processes and procedures as well as the implications for divergence from accepted norms. Speaking about consequences in logical, non-emotive terms will more likely build cooperation than rantings and threats to those making questionable choices.
Be ever plan-ful and strategic, while also allowing teams to innovate quickly and maintain access with minimal hassle.
Be customer focused. Customers will help you define direction, and your internally policies will help you create a solution which is safe, secure and scalable.
Consider outsourcing some of these solutions to specialists if it's not a core competency.
Assume positive intent, but plan for external infractions and attacks and for user negligence.
Manage your career opportunities in this space.
Keep stretching yourself and providing value. Be open to new roles and responsibilities and positions in this hot and emerging space.
Consider both entrepreneurial and corporate opportunities.
Be open to taking classes. Technical coursework and certifications would allow you to drill deeper, business classes would help you get a broaden perspective. Both are important.
It's inevitable that we must continue to leverage tech to fight tech hacks and vulnerabilities so there's an ocean of opportunity ahead! Make sure that you, your team and product, your company and industry, are well equipped to stay above water and swim underwater.
------------
FountainBlue’s August 11 When She Speaks event was on the topic of Balancing Privacy, Security and Access. Please join me in thanking our gracious hosts at Palo Alto Networks and our panelists!
Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue, Chief Revenue Officer, 888 Steps Panelist Shruti Gautam, Cofounder - Firecode.io, Senior Software Engineer, eBay Panelist Sujata Ramamoorth, CSO, Cloud Platform and Services, Cisco Panelist Geetha Rao, CEO, Springborne Life Sciences Panelist Paola Zeni, Global Privacy, Senior Director, Palo Alto Networks