Wall Street values companies based on their performance over time. That performance is measured in revenue growth and profit, but it is also measured by the reliability with which results can be predicted. Predictable results makes everyone happy. Wall Street doesn’t like surprises, and neither does a CEO. At some level, I suppose, the CEO’s job is to grow the business with as few moving parts as possible, eliminating potential surprises that could upset predictable results.
This becomes difficult when you realize that the very foundation of every modern business, the network, is full of moving parts and is anything but stable. Technology continues to evolve, new products are introduced, and companies are constantly changing their electronic infrastructure in hopes of improving operations and lowering costs. This double whammy of new products and the desire to lower costs by changing the network brings complexity, potential vulnerabilities and unpredictability to the business. At the end of it all, one should always ask the question – are things getting better, or not? Is my network improving or not? And am I more secure or not? How can I know?
I recently met with the chief executive of a Fortune 20 company. In our discussion I learned that this CEO gets a cyber report every Monday morning. Not only does it include what attacks or threats his company witnessed, but it includes information on what is happening in the world as it applies to his business. This sounds a lot like what the President of the United States gets in his daily briefings from the NSC! I was totally surprised and delighted that he was taking security so seriously.
What does this mean for you, the CEO? A cyber event is coming, whether you like it or not. It doesn’t have to be scary or deadly. Being prepared with a secure network is now the cost of doing business. The sooner you start, the less impact it’ll have on your company when it happens to you.
