Konrad Purzycki
Cyber Securityas a BusinessEnabler
How security leaders open markets, win deals and move at the speed of business
THE BOOK // IN 30 SECONDS
The rarely discussed side
Most books about cybersecurity leadership show the CISO and the security team in their traditional role: the protectors of the business. This book takes on the side that is rarely discussed: security as a business enabler that opens new markets, wins new customer bases and helps close deals faster.
Cyber Security as a Business Enabler does not skip protection. Protection is the base, and without it there is nothing to enable. But it shows CEOs, C-suite leaders and board members how their security function can do much more than keep the company safe, and how a CISO can become a partner of the commercial side instead of the department that says no.
But there is a big disproportion in how much is written about the two sides of security. So I focus on the other one, the business enablement function, and on the role that the CISO and the security team can play in helping the company win customers, open markets and close deals faster.
The protector
Keeps the company safe. Protection is the base that makes enabling possible.
The enabler
Opens new markets, wins new customer bases and helps close deals faster.
INSIDE // 08
Inside, you will learn
How to give security a theory of victory, and why speed beats perfection
The strategy, roadmap and master security posture document your CISO should deliver in the first 90 days
How to answer customer security questions fast, without slowing the deal
How to put a price on risks and opportunities, and bring the board clear options to decide on
How certifications and security frameworks work as keys to new markets, regions and industries, explained in plain words
Two new roles where security meets the business: the Business Information Security Officer (BISO), who brings security inside a business unit, and the Director of Security, Trust and Business Enablement, who brings security in front of customers and owns the trust that wins deals
Why separating the protector and the enabler can make both of them stronger, and when a virtual CISO is the right choice
What to require from your CISO, and how to verify and improve together over time
Every chapter ends with
Three questions for your CISO
Every chapter ends with three questions for your CISO: one for the job interview, one for the first 90 days and one for your regular 1:1s.
Use them. They are the shortest way to turn this book into action.
- 1IN THE JOB INTERVIEWCHAPTER 3 // FROM COST CENTER TO PROFIT CENTER: THE PROTECTOR AND THE ENABLER
“Tell me about a deal, a customer or a market that security helped a company win. What exactly did you do?”
- 2IN THE FIRST 90 DAYSCHAPTER 5 // KNOW YOURSELF FIRST: STRATEGY, ROADMAP, MASTER SECURITY POSTURE DOCUMENT
“Show me the master security posture document and your first roadmap. What can we share with customers today, and how far are we from the next market?”
- 3IN YOUR REGULAR 1:1sCHAPTER 7 // DATA-DRIVEN SECURITY: LOGS THAT TELL THE STORY
“Which decision did your data support this month, and how did you present it to the people who made it?”
INDEX // LOADED
Contents
- 1.Theory of Victory: Start With the End State
- 2.Speed Over Perfection: Why Good Enough Wins
- 3.From Cost Center to Profit Center: The Protector and the Enabler
Who it is for
Dedicated especially to SaaS start-ups and scale-ups, and applicable in bigger organizations too, this book is for CEOs and boards, for CISOs who want a seat at the commercial table, and for the sales and security teams who work side by side every day.
- CEOs and boards
- CISOs who want a seat at the commercial table
- Sales and security teams
- SaaS start-ups and scale-ups
About the author
Konrad Purzycki is a lawyer by profession and an information security leader by choice. In his practice, he brings a lawyer’s analytical thinking and a data-driven approach into the world of security, with one purpose: making security a business enabler. He has implemented certification programs and security practices that opened new customer markets.
Read Chapter 1 free
Theory of Victory: Start With the End State. The whole first chapter, free on this site.
Read Chapter 1