S27 Ep5: Steve Durbin & Julie MacDonald - Safeguarding Your Business in Times of Instability

Steve recently sat for an interview with veteran journalist Julie MacDonald for a feature with The European. Last week, we listened to the first part of that conversation, and today, we’re hearing the second. Julie and Steve talk about scenario planning, transparency within industries, and what good leadership looks like in this complex moment in history.

Key Takeaways:
1. Durbin emphasizes AI’s dependence on data integrity and the importance of starting with good data.
2. Durbin discusses the challenges of geopolitical threats and market flux, and how organizations must prepare for an uncertain future.
3. Durbin notes increased use of ISF’s supplier assessment tools to mitigate risks due to geopolitical tensions and COVID-19.


Tune in to hear more about:
1. Cyber security, AI, and data integrity (0:00)
2. Cyber security threats, vulnerabilities, and supply chain risks (3:40)
3. Risk management, leadership priorities, and the importance of collaboration (9:28)


Standout Quotes:
1. “Bear in mind that when it all comes crashing down, there isn't a piece of technology in the world that will get your systems back up and running. And so don't forget the role that people have to play. So look after the people, make sure that they understand the important role that they have, because I think all too often, we talk about them being the weakest link. Actually, they're the strongest link.“ - Steve Durbin

2. “You have to focus on the crown jewels. That's your starting point. Very often, people will say to me, well, how much should we be spending? And my answer to that is, it depends. It depends on your risk profile, depends how nervous you are, it depends if you're going to enter new markets, it depends if you're coming out of markets. So you have to, as the leader of an organization, I think, juggle all of those things. And you have to do it in a very sort of swanlike way.“ - Steve Durbin

3. “You will make mistakes. And the mistake itself isn't important. What is important is how you recover from that, and how you learn from it going forward. And how you share that with other people in your organization. And how you become very much more agile to take advantage of some of the opportunities that that might open up.“ - Steve Durbin


Mentioned in this episode:

• ISF Analyst Insight Podcast
  
  

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From the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.