“At no point was sensitive or controlled information compromised,” according to reports from today’s cybercrime news – this is typical.  It reminds me of the time my dentist told me, “There is no proof that amalgam fillings are harmful.”  I told him, there was a time when studies had not proven that cigarettes cause cancer…and how can the security people at NASA be sure nothing has been compromised in the wake of April’s attacks?

Why are companies and high-profile organizations losing this battle?  This week I will be speaking to business leaders in Richmond VA on the threats and risks associated with Cybercrime.  No matter how much they spend, or how well protected they think they are, the criminals will continue to win as long as this is treated as a technical issue.

I was on a coaching call with a sales person yesterday who was complaining that only 7 people attended their last event…after further exploration I discovered the problem – the event was advertising more product information.  This is not a product sale!  It’s a risk sale.  You can invite the business leaders, but they’ll delegate to IT every time when the topic is a product or feature, and if the product info doesn’t sound great, even IT will stay home.  Focus on the trends, look at the growing risks – consider what these business leaders are  worried about when it comes to technology.   Address these business issues in your next event if you expect people to attend.  This creates a win/win every time.  In the end, business leaders need to know what is going on, and you must have a way to help them succeed in warding off the enemy.

© 2012, David Stelzl