Security professionals need to improve people (and business) management skills before IT skills

Abstract

In today's business world, the highest levels of management accept and understand the potential impact of data breaches, including loss of business, damage to the corporate image, diminished shareholder value, and lawsuits. The long battle to push information security up the priority agenda has been won. Gone are the days when information security was considered a nuisance. However, many have yet to recognise that protecting information assets is more about people management than IT management. This is particularly true today in a world where it is becoming the exception rather than then norm that new systems, programs, even products are rolled out without due consideration for information security.