Information security is a strategicingredient to business innovations and organizations that do not take advantage of this end up losing big on opportunities. Inadequate measures around information security make project costs to rise and time to market to increase. Ultimately, this leads to loss in competitive edge.
When you invest in the building of an innovation-enabling security environment, you stand to gain much. In discussions with the experts in the information security field, a number of recommendations have surfaced. Below are some of the top recommendations on how to integrate security in your business innovation.
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Having the Right Mindset
It’s absolutely important to begin with the right mindset because security practitioners need to think more on the “how” rather than the “no”. Having a team that is prepared to challenge their own assumptions and always thinking on how security can make your business ideas happen is very critical. Information security personnel have a role to protect and support the business and hence are trusted partners to business innovation. As a business owner, you need to give these people the opportunity to ride the edge without them putting your company at risk.
Understand Business and Speak Its Language
In order to be key players in the innovation process of the business, security professionals must understand the business well. This means they must look at both the vertical as well as the horizontal aspects of the industry in which your business is in.
Once there is an understanding of the business contest, framing information security and integrating it into your business innovation model becomes much more visible. You should know how to quantify the value proposition that a cyber security system like the Dell SonicWALL will deliver especially in areas such as improved efficiency and cost reductions.
Recognize and Seize Value Adding Opportunities
Today, business process innovation includes partnering, nearshoring, and offshoring. This means businesses are required to be innovative in the way they deliver their services to ensure minimal cost and high competitiveness. In order to make this successful, security has to be part of the process. Business innovation projects require advanced information security in order to realize the goals projected.
Whenever customer data or any other sensitive information is exchanged, there is need for privacy and confidentiality. A delicate balance between open, free, and secure communications must be maintained always.
Building Reputable Processes
Existing corporate systems for reviewing and approving business initiatives must have security built into them. This is because every project or business initiative involves the collection, handling, processing, and exchange of information. Most of this information is financial data, customer data, and intellectual property hence the need for information security.
The idea is to create an architectural framework to enable business innovators to launch their ideas in a secure a manner. Depending on the project being undertaken, security installations can be done proportionately. When outsourcing certain data processing operations, security must be engaged at the earliest possible stage to ensure safety of data transmission.
You must also appreciate that the creation of new approaches to security which align with business innovation projects, take some time and therefore you must be patient as they take shape.