Corporate Security Stymied by Culture Clashes

If your company’s physical security, IT security and financial risk management teams can’t get along, it may be compromising corporate security, according to a new report by The Conference Board.

In an article on Earthweb.com, writer Sharon Gaudin says the trio of physical security, IT security and financial risk management groups is responsible for safeguarding a company’s information, financial resources and people. Tom Cavanagh, a senior research associate with the Conference Board, told Gaudin that getting those groups to work together is a problem that, if overlooked, could put all three in jeopardy.

''Increasingly, the security field is seeing a lot of convergence of different disciplines, but it's been tough to pull everything together,'' Cavanagh told Gaudin. ''The people in the various silos have a tough time communicating with each other... And the failure to share information can have devastating consequences.''

The problem, Cavanagh says, is culture. The physical security team is seen as “cop-wannabes,” the IT teams as “geeks” and the finance team as “suits.” The answer, he says, is to ensure all three teams communicate with one another. Have someone oversee a meeting between the three groups to ensure no one uses jargon. Use words that everyone at the table will understand, and look for ways to tackle common problems.

To read Gaudin’s full article, click here: http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/secu/article.php/3425021

To read the Conference Board’s report, click here: http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2502