Organizations of all sizes and across all industries are struggling to determine what is the best approach for developing, implementing, and monitoring an effective cyber-security and data-breach prevention environment. Project and program management methodologies can provide the framework for guiding organizations through this process. Business owners and executives are overwhelmed by all of the available “solutions” that vendors are trying to sell them, often claiming that their product will “100 percent” secure the organization’s infrastructure. This statement is 100 percent misleading and inaccurate; that’s an impossible claim. There are many non-technical components that are just as essential to an integrated and effective cyber security environment as the latest firewall or anti-virus application, such as employee training, data breach insurance, policies and procedures, and more. We suggest that each of the technical and non-technical components should be included in the organization’s master cyber-security program and managed as individual projects.
A project is defined by the Project Management Institute as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.” Managing the various components of your cyber-security program as separate projects enables organizations to realize the benefits of project management and more thoughtfully and deliberately deploy their capital. A project management approach ensures that these projects are based upon a set of requirements and objectives that align with the organization’s environment. Following this methodology will also help management track the progress of the implementation and overall health of the project in terms of schedule, budget, and resources. Treating each cyber-security component as an individual project drives standardization and increases the likelihood that the project will be successfully implemented on time and on budget. Another advantage of managing the various components of an effective cyber security system is that it adds a degree of formality that elevates the initiative in the eyes of employees and increases the likelihood of success and compliance.
A program is defined by the Project Management Institute as “a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually.” Organizations should view their cyber-security and data-breach prevention system as an ongoing program. This approach should include a variety of key stakeholders who will have various roles within each project depending on the scope. Key stakeholders will likely include human resources, risk management, operations, engineering, facilities, finance, logistics, security, and information technology. Hackers’ tools and methodologies are constantly evolving to stay one step ahead of organizations. Those that don’t take a program approach to cyber security will struggle to prevent thieves from accessing their infrastructure and exposing their critical data. Organizations that think an annual IT assessment is all they need to protect themselves are misinformed and setting themselves up to be the next Target or Home Depot.
COMPASS has developed project and program management methodologies to assist institutions with developing a customized, cost-effective, and practical approach to cyber security. This approach combines the discipline of project management with the latest cyber-security technology and data-protection best practices. In today’s hyper-connected world, every organization is just one data breach away from being a leading story on the news and social media, which can severely damage its reputation and brand. Find out how to protect your institution. Contact COMPASS to learn more about our methodology and how it can help your organization develop a robust cyber security ecosystem.
