Visibility in Management: Navigating the Cybersecurity Landscape with Argo | Part II
Jerald Dawkins, PhD, Chief Technology Officer at CISO Global
Imagine a world where combing siloed data reports is a thing of the past, freeing us to focus on risk management and actionable solutions rather than wrangling data...
In today’s threat landscape, organizations need to be highly attuned to matters of cybersecurity, beginning with executive leadership and extending throughout every level and branch of the business. Management may acknowledge the importance of cybersecurity, however there’s often a significant gap between acknowledging its importance and possessing the insights required to drive informed decision-making. Cyber resilience and risk mitigation are priorities for most executives. However, it’s disconcerting when I speak to executives who boast, “I have a team/someone that manages all that for me.” Such comments are glaring red flags.
Is Acknowledging Cybersecurity Enough?
Managing technology, and subsequently security, is akin to managing any other aspect of a business — it is not static but dynamic, influenced by daily activities, news events, or tasks. For example, in business there are bills to pay, contracts to review and sign, clients to support, information to exchange, and daily events and tasks to manage. Proper security risk management is no different. A quote I often reiterate is: “Security is not a problem to solve; it is risk to manage.”
Technical teams often strive for the comfort of green checkboxes, empty issue queues, and all-clear statuses. However, the reality is that cybersecurity is an ongoing risk that requires continuous management. Effective risk management necessitates clear communication across various toolsets, services, and platforms, to make informed decisions.
Truly efficient risk management hinges on a single, central principle: visibility.
Imagine you’re driving on a highway during a heavy downpour. The rain hammering on your windshield creates a sheet of water that significantly reduces your visibility. You can barely see the road ahead, only the lines marking your lane for a few car lengths ahead of you.
This lack of visibility while driving is like having restricted visibility into the various technical toolsets, operations, and business processes within a company. You might be able to react to an immediate situation in front of you (like hitting the brakes for a sudden stop), but you’re missing the big picture. Because your view is obscured, you’re unable to see potential hazards further down the road.
A clear windshield is needed to drive through the rain just as visibility into your technical tools, operational workflows, and business processes is crucial for navigating the complexities of running a company. This visibility allows for:
- Proactive risk management: Just like seeing hazards on the road ahead allows you to slow down or change lanes, visibility into processes helps identify potential problems before issues can arise.
- Informed decision-making: With a clear view of the road and traffic, you can make safe and strategic choices about how to navigate. Similarly, comprehensive visibility allows for data-driven decisions across the organization.
- Improved efficiency: Just as a smooth, clear highway allows for faster travel, streamlined operations and clear communication across tools help things run more efficiently.
Without visibility, you’re essentially just reacting to immediate situations, potentially missing critical information and creating inefficiencies or even issues down the road.
Visibility — The Driving Force Behind Argo
Risk management and reduction can only be achieved through enhanced visibility — and this principle of visibility is the driving force behind Argo Security Management. Through environment-wide visibility, Argo empowers organizations to break down silos and build a comprehensive and unified approach to cybersecurity.
- Everything is together in one easy-to-use view, giving you a clear picture of your security posture
- Data is presented in a way that’s clear and simple, so you can focus on what matters most — keeping your organization safe
- Allows you to easily see what’s important and drill into details for a closer look
- Includes integrations with advanced AI toolsets such as Microsoft’s Security CoPilot, enabling more effective and efficient incident response handling across broader datasets
- Argo goes beyond simply collecting security data — it ingests information from across your IT operations, factors in the context and meaning behind the data and transforms it into actionable insights. This holistic view of the security landscape empowers leaders to make informed decisions and prioritize threats effectively. Transparent communication between security teams and leadership becomes a reality, solidifying your commitment to a secure future
Visibility is about more than monitoring threats — it’s about creating an environment where cybersecurity is woven into the fabric of an organization.
Argo cuts through distractions, improving visibility into your organization’s data, just as windshield wipers slicing through pouring rain allows a clear view of the road ahead. Visibility empowers executives to make data-driven decisions and ensures that team members understand their role in maintaining the organization’s security posture.
How much visibility do you currently have into your organization’s overall security posture? Is visibility obscured and cluttered, resulting in a reactive security stance? By leveraging tools to optimize visibility and integrating cybersecurity protocols throughout your organization, you can embrace a more resilient and robust cybersecurity strategy.
About the Author
Jerald Dawkins is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for CISO Global and has founded and exited several cybersecurity companies, including True Digital Security and TokenEx, LLC, both based in Oklahoma. (True Digital Security was acquired by CISO Global in January 2022.) He currently holds three (3) patents in the cybersecurity field. Additionally, Jerry has secured millions of dollars in over twenty-five (25) federal and industry research grants for cybersecurity research, in addition to having served as a cybersecurity advisor for Department of Homeland Security Inter-Agency Board supporting the First Responder community. As a tireless advocate for technological and skills development, Jerry has also held numerous board positions supporting STEM education and actively advises the technology innovation community in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jerry’s elite combination of security and technology expertise, business acumen, and creativity has positioned him as a thought leader in the field of information security and cyber resilience.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and his Master of Science degree from The University of Tulsa. His PhD dissertation, also from The University of Tulsa, focused on heuristics for scalable compound exposure analysis.
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*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from CISO Global authored by CISO Global. Read the original post at: https://www.ciso.inc/blog-posts/navigating-the-cybersecurity-landscape-with-argo-part-ii/