An Interview with Scott Koslosky

In The Great Conversation in Security, we seek thought leaders across multiple domains of knowledge. From enterprise security risk management to intelligence and from leadership to organizational change.

Scott Koslosky opens The Great Conversation on Monday, March 4 with a challenge that promises to touch on many of our educational tracks. We sat down with him in preparation for the forum and here is what we learned:

Why are you participating in The Great Conversation in Security?

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I really want to help Security Leaders have a better understanding how technology is going to change the threat landscape and our ability to manage risk inside of organizations. This includes helping people have a better sense of the integrated security model and how that works.

What have you learned this year, that you can share with us that is important for executives involved in their organization’s security and risk programs to know?

I have learned the best tactics for changing from a siloed security model to an integrated model in medium to large organizations.

I have learned about the machine intelligence in security both for defense and offense.

I have learned about new threats that are being created by digital tools and concepts.

I have also learned a lot about how to manage the internal risks now created from employees stealing IP or data.

What is the most successful leadership model you have seen in our industry?

An integrated security model overseen by a CSO that has a physical, electronic and cyber expert reporting to them. This provides the foundation for integrated security.

Then assign the leader to manage both internal and external security risks. Define analytics so that security performance can be measured.

How will cyber threats impact the security ecosystem: (consultants, integrators, and technology vendors)?

It will change the skills that security people are required to have.

It will cause a new breed of consultant and vendor to be critical to managing risk and events.

It will cause traditional security companies to add cyber talent and resources so that they can fully help to manage security risks that have components of physical, electronic and cyber in the attack.

Tell us a little bit about your presentation and why it is important and/or what will attendees learn from it to take back to their own organizations

My presentation and discussion will be important because it will introduce new thinking, models, and processes to the CSO’s. I will challenge the traditional ways we have provided security and will paint a picture of the future that will be undeniable. I come from the technology side of security back to the physical side, so I have a good ability to speak their language and I understand what they deal with every day. Using this knowledge, I will give them practical advice as to improvements that can be made in 2019 at both strategic and tactical levels.

Note: Scott has written a number of books. The most recent: Did God Create the Internet?: The Impact of Technology on Humanity.

Here is a brief description: Technology includes an incredibly powerful set of tools that surround our lives. We are chained to our devices, connected permanently through the Internet, and depend on a variety of software applications to manage our days. The power these tools give us would seem magical if shown to people just thirty years ago. The integration of digital tools into our lives most certainly changes us. The seminal question is whether we will ultimately be happy with the changes technology introduces. The impact as we integrate humanity and technology will reverberate for hundreds of years; whether it will propel us forward or cripple us as a species remains to be seen. We now stand on the precipice of the digital transformation with the outcome unknown. We do have influence on the outcome, but we can only guide it in ways that benefit humanity the most if we understand the consequences of augmenting our lives with technology.