about


The Pragmatic CSO Forum

Business of Security is presenting The Pragmatic CSO Forum, a four part series delivered live via Cisco WebEx. This format and content is ideally suited for those responsible for IT security within their organization. Our presenter is author and analyst Mike Rothman who published The Pragmatic CSO along with supporting documentation to revolutionize the daily existence of those responsible for keeping systems secure and available, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring compliance.

The benefits of employing the principles laid out in The Pragmatic CSO are well documented and enumerated by Mike on his web site. What we feature here is a coaching opportunity along with valuable templates and documentation designed to accelerate the execution of the pragmatic security program.

Take the first step! Session I of the PCSO Forum is available now for a free test drive. Download and view the event archive as Mike Rothman provides an overview of the program and then delivers “Plan to be Pragmatic”, covering steps 1-3 of the 12-Steps to Being a Security Master. At the end of the session, you will be invited to obtain the book at a 50% discount.

Invest in the Book – The Pragmatic CSO is a manual for achieving a simple, focused and achievable security program. You can download the 25-page Introduction here to gain a better understanding of what a unique and valuable resource the book really is. The 50% discount offer is exclusive for our audience and available for a limited time.

Make a New Year’s Resolution – Invest in your career, increase your value to the organization and gain back your sanity. Be a pragmatic CSO. We kick off Session II. “Build a Pragmatic Security Environment” on January 27, 2009, which covers steps 4-6 (see the Introduction for a detailed table of contents). Session III follows on February 26th with “Run Your Security Organization Pragmatically”, steps 7-9. We conclude with Session IV “Communicating Your Value”, steps 10-12 on March 24th.

Collaborate and Grow – Keep your finger on the pulse of what your peers are thinking, doing and experiencing. Each Session will require the participants to complete a peer group survey which will be shared and discussed during the event. Participate in the exclusive PCSO Forum Collaboration and Discussion Space to connect with your peers and share resources.

Register Now – Thanks to our sponsors, the investment is only $149 to participate in the three PCSO Forum coaching sessions and to receive the documentation listed below. Combined, these resources will accelerate execution and save you precious time: Baseline Checklist, Awareness Survey Template, Perception Survey Template, Expectations PPT Template, Business Plan Template, Security Architecture Matrix Tool and the Incident Response Plan Template.

 

The Pragmatic CSO Forum – Session I Event Archive
Download and view Session I of this four part series designed to accelerate the adoption of the 12-Step Process of Being a Security Master outlined in the 25-page Introduction of The Pragmatic CSO. After viewing the event, you will be invited to register for Sessions II-IV and receive a 50% discount off your book order.

Join security industry expert Mike Rothman as he explains how your daily existence could change to look like this:

  • You’ll get a seat at the table – senior managers will be consulting you before they roll out an application. It’s not a pipe dream.
  • Your users will get it – Your employees will no longer be the bane of your existence. Many will stop doing stupid things because they’ll actually understand what not to do.
  • You’ll know what not to get done – No longer will you need to spend all of your waking hours trying to get everything done, no matter how trivial it seems. A clear idea of priorities will make sure you stay focused at all times.
  • You’ll live to fight another day – Security incidents are part of the territory, but you’ll be prepared. You’ll learn how to know something is up and what to do, who to call and how to recover – without fatally damaging your credibility.

Download and view the PCSO Part I Replay and Presentation then receive:

  • 50% discount on your book order of The Pragmatic CSO
  • An invitation to register for the Pragmatic CSO Virtual Peer Group Sessions

The Pragmatic CSO Forum – Session I Agenda:

  • The evolving role of the CSO
  • An overview of the 12-Steps to become a Pragmatic CSO
  • Pragmatic peer group sessions
  • Deep dive on Steps 1-3
    • Plan to be pragmatic
    • Assessing the value of your business systems
    • Baseline your environment
    • Manage expectations
  • Q&A

Invest in your career, increase your value to the organization and gain back your sanity. Download the PCSO Part I Replay and Presentation then be on your way to being a pragmatic CSO :

  • Senior management asks my opinion – Security is part of the team now, so before a new initiative or application gets rolled out, we make sure there aren’t any critical holes.
  • I have a plan – Through the Pragmatic CSO, I built a business plan for my security operation and got the funding that I need in order to my job. As long as I hit my objectives, I can execute on my plan.
  • I don’t chase the attack de jour – I know what’s important to protect and I make sure those business systems are protected. It makes my priorities very clear on a daily basis.
  • The auditors are my friends – Believe it or not, my last audit took 1/3 the time. By changing my perspective with the auditors, I gave them what they needed and they helped me accomplish what I needed to. Who would have thought I could get a win-win with the auditors?

 

 

Mike Rothman Bio

Mike Rothman is Chief Blogger at Security Incite and author of The Pragmatic CSO (www.pragmaticcso.com). Mike’s bold perspectives and irreverent style are invaluable as companies determine effective strategies to grapple with the dynamic security threatscape. Mike is one of the most sought after speakers and commentators in the security business and brings a deep background in information security. After more than 15 years, he's one of the guys that “knows where the bodies are buried” in the space.

Mike is also Senior VP, Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer for eIQnetworks - a company in the security and compliance management space.

Starting his career as a programmer and a networking consultant, Mike joined META Group in 1993 and spearheaded META’s initial foray into information security research. During his 5 years in “Big Research,” he also covered a variety of other networking, electronic commerce, and messaging topics.

Mike left META in 1998 to found SHYM Technology, a pioneer in the PKI software market and then took VP Marketing roles at CipherTrust and TruSecure, providing experience in marketing, business development, and channel operations for both product and services companies.

You can check out what Mike’s ranting about today on his website (http://securityincite.com), by reading his blog via RSS (http://blog.securityincite.com) or by subscribing to the Daily Incite newsletter (send email to dailyincite (at) securityincite (dot) net).