Preventing security breaches must start at the top

Cyberattacks are increasing in number and growing in sophistication. Organizations must develop a comprehensive plan, executed with great precision and consistency, if they are to protect themselves. The creation and sustenance of a high-performance information security culture is needed, and the drive for change must come from the very top. In my book Cybersecurity Readiness: A Holistic and High-Performance Approach, such a culture is characterized by three key traits: commitment, preparedness, and discipline.

This Commitment-Preparedness-Discipline framework (see the charts below) is holistic and recognizes that “technology alone will not mitigate information security risks”.

There are several pieces to the complex puzzle of cybersecurity management, and technology is only one of them. Committed leadership, robust governance procedures, informed and motivated personnel are other success factors.”

Sustained commitment at all organizational levels and beyond (value…