Operational Security: Why It Matters and How Capabilities Are Evolving to Protect Organizations From Rising Cybersecurity Threats

As part of the Cybersecurity Midwest Summit 2022, hosted by CDO Magazine and ComSpark, the session “Operational Security – Why It Does Matter and How Capabilities Are Evolving to Protect Your Organization From Rising Cybersecurity Threats” features the following speakers:

• Brandon Harms, Director of Cybersecurity Engineering, Ascend Technologies
• Robert McInerney, SVP of Technology Operations, Synchrony Financial
• Phu Phung, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, University of Dayton
• Chris Sibila, Financial Services Executive, Deitrich Partners

Michael Fillios, Founder and CEO of IT Ally LLC, moderates the session.

In his opening remarks, McInerney states that operational security is intrinsic and can cause data exfiltration if the standard is not maintained. He suggests organizations invest in internal operational security while checking the security of vendors and partners.

According to Sibila, managing systems without downtime is critical from a business perspective. He suggests leveraging other business initiatives to help fund operational security changes and advances.

Harms states that operational security has evolved to protect widely available data. Because data needs to be accessible at all times, he maintains that operational security must mature with the associated threats and challenges.

Additionally, McInerney asserts that having a security system is imperative for businesses to protect data and maintain a good reputation. He believes it is a competitive differentiator that can have a financial impact.

Next, Sibila argues that organizations need to protect their digital assets because, with them, organizations will have competitive advantages against their competitors. He adds that organizations must implement policies, procedures, and technical controls to protect digital assets to prevent, detect, and respond to threats.

Highlighting threats, Harms emphasizes that phishing attacks will happen, and it only takes one click. He suggests using email security to reduce the frequency of attacks but also having detection and response capabilities in place.

Lastly, Phung suggests that educating customers and employees ensures success in cybersecurity and operational security.

Watch other Cybersecurity Midwest Summit 2022 sessions HERE