A common perception of security in organizations is that it acts as a business disabler. Why is this the case? Simply put, implementing security controls often introduces additional effort and overhead for business functions. However, when approached strategically, security can be a significant business enabler, providing value beyond merely reducing risks.
Here’s how.
Security as an Enabler
While security often focuses on identifying and mitigating weaknesses, it also plays a key role in reducing disturbances, enabling proactive management, and even driving operational efficiencies. For instance:
Capacity Management:
A security control like monitoring resource usage can help not only reduce business disruptions but also drive cost savings. For example:
- If you notice consistently low CPU utilization on virtual servers in an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) setup, you could reduce allocated capacity, saving costs.
- Baselines established by security controls can help define predictable resource usage, leading to optimized budget planning.
Security controls in this context deliver dual benefits: protecting against disruptions and optimizing operational costs.
Visibility and Information Flow
One of the most valuable outcomes of implementing security controls is enhanced visibility into organizational operations. This includes insights into:
- Connections: Understanding how systems and devices are interconnected.
- Information Flows: Tracking how information moves within and outside the organization.
Case Study: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)
Take the example of a hospital managing Electronic Health Records (EMRs). These systems contain vast amounts of sensitive data critical to operations. However, they also come with challenges, such as interactions between hospitals and external entities like retirement homes.
How Security Enables Value Here:
- By identifying and analyzing information flows, security teams can recognize areas of risk, such as data transfers via email or paper, which are prone to human error or unauthorized access.
- Automating and standardizing such interactions—authorized directly by the patient—can improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance the patient experience.
Moreover, conditional access rules can enhance processes in high-stakes environments like intensive care units (ICUs). For example:
- A doctor could gain immediate access to EMRs based on verified multi-factor conditions: their identity, patient consent, and physical location (e.g., the ICU).
- This approach improves the speed, accuracy, and completeness of data access while adhering to security principles like confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
To achieve this, cross-functional collaboration is crucial. The right stakeholders need to align on:
- Business rules for secure access.
- Identification methods that balance security with usability.
- Conditional access configurations that enhance processes without introducing unnecessary friction.
The End of the Information-Gathering Era
We are transitioning from the era of collecting data to the era of using data effectively. Organizations already have extensive data, but the focus now should be on extracting value by identifying opportunities for improvement.
Security plays a pivotal role in this shift by providing frameworks to:
- Analyze and standardize data usage.
- Drive efficiencies across business functions without compromising on security.
For example, ensuring secure data exchanges and leveraging data insights to optimize workflows can unlock significant organizational value. In the case of an EMR system:
- Automating patient-doctor workflows ensures secure and seamless access while eliminating inefficient manual processes.
- Insights from security controls can uncover patterns of inefficiency or over-reliance on resources, enabling proactive decision-making.
The Role of Security Principles in Business Optimization
While enabling business functions, it's essential to keep fundamental security principles in mind:
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability, Authenticity, and Non-repudiation (CIAAN). These principles ensure that optimizations do not introduce unacceptable risks.
For instance:
- Confidentiality ensures sensitive patient data remains protected while improving access workflows.
- Integrity ensures the accuracy and reliability of data used in automation or standardization.
- Availability is critical in ensuring systems like EMR's are accessible in life-critical situations like ICU's.
Collaboration is Key
To unlock the full potential of security controls, effective communication and collaboration are essential. This means:
- Involving the right stakeholders—security teams, business leaders, and operational staff—early in the process.
- Ensuring discussions are in a language understood by all parties, avoiding technical jargon that alienates non-technical stakeholders.
- Aligning security initiatives with organizational goals, demonstrating how security investments directly support business success.
Conclusion
The age of information gathering is coming to an end, and the focus is shifting toward using collected data to enable and optimize business functions. By leveraging security controls strategically, organizations can:
- Enhance operational efficiency.
- Drive cost savings.
- Optimize workflows.
- Mitigate risks effectively.
Security is no longer just about defense; it is about unlocking value while adhering to essential security principles. By embedding security into core business processes and aligning stakeholders, organizations can turn perceived barriers into tangible benefits.
Author: Robert Dirks