In these challenging times, it is prudent to take stock of
where you are and make sure you are doing everything in your power
to contribute to the success of the organisation you are working
for,writes independent governance and risk consultant
Roger Southgate, past president ofIsaca
London.
It may be helpful to step back and ask yourself "what does this
role really need?" and "If I was applying for this job today, would
I get it? The answers will fall into two broad categories of
eligibility and suitability.
In crude terms, eligibility gets you an interview, and
suitability gets you the job. The main aspects of eligibility are:
knowledge, experience and skill, and for suitability: values,
beliefs and attitude.
Most security practitioners I meet have very few shortcomings in
the technical arena. However, their understanding of the
organisation they work for, how it works and where and how they
contribute to its success is another story.
Technologies will come and go, what has become increasingly
important to all organisations in these very competitive times is
ensuring they are easy to do business with, and can be trusted. The
security professional needs to have a much better understanding of
their organisations business processes and customers needs, wants,
and aspirations.
To this end, I think there is a need to broaden one's horizons.
Organisations such as the British Computer Society and Isaca both
provide their members with great opportunities to network, as of
course does Infosecurity Europe.
You may like to refer to the following publications available to
download from the Isaca
website to help take stock of where you are and plan your
progression:
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