Chats On The Road To RSAC USA 2020 | Three | With Juliette Kayyem

Digital life, real life, complexity, risk, and keeping the flow.

As the former Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, our guest today, Juliette Kayyem, has probably seen some things that most people and organizations would have serious nightmares about. Truth is, once you have to deal with complex systems, the reality is made of the scenarios she has seen; the best way to deal with them is to focus on risk reduction and on maintaining the operational flow—of the system itself.

We must accept the fact that our world has become connected—in many ways—and our societies more interdependent with one another: specifically looking at technology, cultures, and society—and the challenges they bring when trying to protect ourselves, our communities, our companies, our industries, and our countries.

In the specifics of her talk at RSAC 2020, Juliette and Admiral James Stavridis will focus on cybersecurity, elections, and geopolitics. If there’s one thing that is keeping us from winning this battle against cybercrime, according to Juliette, it’s likely that the IT security industry has created a culture that paints a picture of specialization—that this is all a bit of black magic—and if you don’t have the right skills or know the right person (and can pay them handsomely), you’re in for a long, bumpy, nasty ride. On the other hand, it is collaboration and cooperation amongst many different players that can create a future full of positive results.

The bottom line is that, despite all the challenges, the InfoSec journey doesn’t have to feel like an old, run-down rollercoaster. Here some of the points we discussed:

• As an executive team, how often do you talk with your fellow C-suite partners? Is it the same for the CFO as the CSO? Is the same for the CMO as the CISO?
• Do you know what your core mission is that you’re trying to protect?
• The role of social media in providing free speech and yet jeopardizing privacy.
• We would all hope that protecting the election process is a core mission for the government—is it though?
• Is the digitalization of our society helping or damaging democracy?
• Plus a whole lot more …

Of course, we also discuss more of the keynote fireside chat Juliette is doing with Admiral James Stavridis during the RSA Conference. You can learn more about their session by search the RSA Conference website for Geopolitical Risks, Elections and Cybersecurity. It takes place: Thursday, February 27 | 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM | South Stage

But, for now, enjoy the conversation we had with Juliette. You’ll be glad you did!

Guest(s)
Juliette Kayyem

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