CISO Trainings , Leadership & Executive Communication , Training & Security Leadership
CyberEdBoard Profiles in Leadership: Don Gibson
Kinly's Don Gibson Advises CISOs to Reevaluate Strategies Amid Economic Downturn
Cybersecurity is important, but what's the point of cybersecurity if the company doesn't exist? The economic downturn has forced companies to rethink their cybersecurity strategies and prioritize company survival over all else, said Don Gibson, CISO at Kinly. He urged security leaders to balance security with business continuity.
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When it comes to CISOs and budgets, the trick is to do more with less these days. Gibson said security leaders should reevaluate their strategies, optimize resource allocation and leverage existing tools to increase their return on investment.
"Investing in your team and your staff will give you a greater return on investment than going and buying the latest item," he said. "The churn of them leaving will be less; therefore, the cost implications of having someone leave, trying to get someone new - that would all change."
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at Infosecurity Europe 2024, conducted as part of the CyberEdBoard's ongoing Profiles in Leadership series, Gibson also discussed:
- Why CISOs must become storytellers to effectively communicate risks to the board;
- How automation and the effective use of existing tools can help CISOs manage resources better;
- Innovative ways to use cybersecurity budgets more effectively.
Gibson creates pragmatic security programs that mold strong, diverse and resilient teams and functions that help deliver business objectives. He also advocates for cyber mental health. He previously served as head of cyber at the Department for International Trade in the U.K. government. He is a member of the CyberEdBoard.
CyberEdBoard is ISMG's premier members-only community of senior-most executives and thought leaders in the fields of security, risk, privacy and IT. CyberEdBoard provides executives with a powerful, peer-driven collaborative ecosystem, private meetings and a library of resources to address complex challenges shared by thousands of CISOs and senior security leaders located in 65 different countries worldwide.
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About the Author
Anna Delaney
Director, Productions, ISMG
An experienced broadcast journalist, Delaney conducts interviews with senior cybersecurity leaders around the world. Previously, she was editor-in-chief of the website for The European Information Security Summit, or TEISS. Earlier, she worked at Levant TV and Resonance FM and served as a researcher at the BBC and ITV in their documentary and factual TV departments.
