Perhaps the biggest difference from a year ago is the sheer number of attacks. While only an occasional news item pre-Target, hackers are getting smarter and data breaches are happening every couple of months. Organizations falling victim in 2014 have included Home Depot, Kmart, Dairy Queen, JPMorgan, Supervalu, Goodwill, Neiman Marcus and, most recently, Staples.
The risk is much higher now, and with the ultimate responsibility for the brand, the reputation and the bottom line, there’s no doubt that the responsibility for ensuring their companies can prevent a breach rests firmly in the CEO corner.
HOW TO IMPROVE DATA SECURITY GOING FORWARD
The ideal breach situation is to have no breach at all. CEOs should look closely at their IT budget and ensure that security technology is regularly updated. When looking for places to trim the budget, data security is one area that not only should be left alone, but for many, should be increased, for the cost of a technology upgrade is much less expensive than the cost of a breach.
Rebecca Scorzato, director of crisis and security consulting, recommends that, to help prevent a breach, CEOs should lead strategic exercises to test every possible way that a cyberhacker could get into their company’s system and then work to prevent that opportunity. Having been thoroughly practiced, such a plan can be kicked into motion quickly should companies become the victim of a cyber breach.
These exercises should include “all necessary internal and external resources,” Scorzato told Security Week, such as IT, finance, HR, customer service and facilities. It’s important for the CEO to hear from each department what is needed to both prevent and fully recover from a breach. “It’s a mistake to treat this is as an IT-readiness exercise,” Scorzato says. Rather, “it’s an organization-readiness exercise.”
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
