By Patrick Gaul, Executive Director of NTSC

On February 16, the NTSC hosted its Southeast Region CISO Policy Conference at the Buckhead Club in Atlanta. This was the first regional roundtable the coalition has hosted since February of 2020 and I think all of us were excited to finally come together to discuss issues that matter to the cyber community. Our first session was hosted by Lucia Milică, Vice President and Global Resident CISO at Proofpoint, Inc. Joining Lucia were Jamil Farshchi, CISO at Equifax, Kristin Cornish, Global Director of Cybersecurity Risk at the Coca-Cola Company, and Kelly Bissell, Global Lead, Security Services, at Microsoft Corporation.

The conversation focused on the issues surrounding board interaction at the enterprise level and provided some interesting insights regarding the need for transparency and the movement away from project-based briefings to more emphasis on risk-based assessments. “Telling the story around the business” was a recurring theme during the discussions, and while metrics are important, it was clear that today it is equally important the board understands risk in terms that the board members can easily understand.

Over 30 senior technology security executives participated attended the roundtable and participated in the discussions, both during the roundtable and at the reception and dinner that followed.

Our next regional roundtable will be held in New York City on May 18, 2022 and we look forward to continuing to engage senior technology security executives across the nation to ensure the NTSC is representing CISOs across the nation when we meet with congressional leaders to discuss cyber policy and legislation.