The SM Editors' Reading Guide for GSX 2022
While you’ve been pouring over the speaker list and education sessions for GSX 2022, the Security Management editorial team has been doing the same.
Our recommended reading list below is designed to help bring you up-to-speed on some of the security and management concepts that will be at the forefront of education in Atlanta.
From Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson
Making good decisions about all aspects of work, from training staff to career planning, is more difficult than ever for security professionals. The May/June cover story, “Uncovering Cognitive Biases in Security Decision Making,” discusses foundational concepts that can guide all decisions.
Pairing this knowledge with solid communications techniques such as those explored in “How to Become a Communications Chameleon,” can help practitioners deliver solid programs (see “Designing Safety Training That Sticks,” and avoid poor decisions (see “How Not to Do an Active Shooter Training”).
A charity hired a security consultant to conduct an active shooter drill at its office. There was just one problem: the consultant didn't inform staff before launching his training scenario. https://t.co/XrYRVDNdlf
— Security Management (@SecMgmtMag) August 30, 2022
See how these concepts can be implemented by security practitioners within their own organizations by checking out the Managing Organizations track at GSX.
From Associate Editor Sara Mosqueda
There are going to be some insightful panels and speakers this year at GSX 2022—especially ones touching on attracting and cultivating new talent while retaining existing talent. "In the Great Resignation, Engage to Retain," Elaine Palome, director of human resources at Axis, shares her insights into how security practitioners can manage this dynamic. In a separate piece, Kory Daniels, CISO at Trustwave, writes extensively about investments to make in your employees, organization, and recruitment strategies to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. Check out some of the many sessions in the Career HQ Stage track to learn more on this front.
The hiring market for cybersecurity talent is competitive. Here are four investments you can make to support your current staff and attract talent. https://t.co/vtEMo0kHl6
— Security Management (@SecMgmtMag) August 18, 2022
Before listening to Mateo Salvatto's keynote speech on Monday, I'll be keeping eyes and ears out for advantages from unorthodox sources and areas, so I recommend reading “Leveraging DE&I to Empower Organizational Competitive Advantage.” And maybe relistening to Robert Baggett, CPP, PCI, PSP, on the Security Management Highlights podcast discussing how security practitioners can implement DE&I philosophies and practices within their organizations.
To get ready for our Wednesday keynote speaker, Derreck Kayongo, I'll be reading “How Gender Discrimination at Work Impacts Confidence” and “Job Candidates Hunting for Workplace Safety, Flexibility, and Diversity.”
Given the stresses of the past two years—extremist violence, frustrations in response to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and more—I'll also be checking out panels on workplace violence mitigation efforts and unconventional perspectives. I recommend reading: “Active Threat Attacks by Lone Actors: A New Category of Risk to Anticipate for Effective Prevention” and “Uncovering Cognitive Biases in Security Decision Making” ahead of attending these sessions.
From Managing Editor Claire Meyer
Looking to ramp up your security career? You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—security leaders are more than willing to offer advice, guidance, and perspective.
Security Management has been tracking career moves and trends for security professionals, and we have a hefty list of recommended reading for any security professional aiming for the next rung on their career ladder. Check out advice from CSOs Matt Bradley and Brain Reich, CPP, in “Career Advice: Mind Your Skill Gaps;” streamline your transition from individual to manager in “How to Succeed When Shifting from Individual Contributor to New Manager;” and discover the value of mentorships establishing your career path in “Making the Most of Mentorship.”
Think you need public sector experience to succeed in security? Not true! Learn about how to bridge skill gaps in “Career Moves: Do Security Leaders Need Law Enforcement Backgrounds?.”
And if you’ve got the skills but not the C-suite attention you need, it might be time to boost your personal branding efforts. Read more from Lida Citroën in “How to Build and Maintain a Personal Brand,” and then be sure to check out her session at GSX: "Your Narrative to Secure Your Career - Global Security Exchange 2022."
If you’d like more career guidance and advice, don’t miss out on Career HQ—a stage full of professional guidance, management tips, and career path mapping—at GSX. Learn more about Career HQ sessions here.
From Senior Editor Megan Gates
Technology is an increasingly powerful driver in our modern society, continuing to transform the way we live, work, and engage with others. It’s also changing how we approach securing our data, assets, and our selves.
While some might joke about the development of the metaverse, aspects of it are already being used to improve security training and technology awareness. Micron Technologies, for instance, is using smart goggles and immersive headsets to help teams assess manufacturing issues and service machines. Meanwhile, others are exploring how digital twins can be used for virtualized site surveys, vulnerability assessments, and improvement planning for renovations and additions. Speakers at GSX 2022 in “Virtual Reality Training—Low Risk, High Reps, High Return on Investment” and “Georiga Tech Building Construction Experience with Digital Twin Applications for Security” will be touching on both these concepts.
Virtual reality is a conduit to developing physical skills like repairing a piece of equipment or learning the most effective way to stack boxes in a warehouse. https://t.co/rQZ1yJsVP0
— Security Management (@SecMgmtMag) July 12, 2022
Technology is also changing the way we interact with one another online, as well as creating new opportunities for threat actors to engage in malicious activity. The Verizon 2022 Data Breach Investigations report revealed some of these trends, and my feature in our September/October issue on societal risk explores how technology can push society to accept new levels of risk. Sherrod DeGrippo will touch on both of those concepts in her gamechanger session on Tuesday, 13 September, at GSX.
The COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues also encouraged more security practitioners to embrace alternative means of authentication and verification, including through the enhanced use of biometrics. The facial recognition market alone is expected to grow to $8.5 billion by 2025—a major jump from $3.8 billion in 2020, according to my analysis for our Biometrics issue of Security Technology. End users at airports embraced the technology, and the ASIS International Security Applied Sciences Community put together a guide on what facial biometrics are to help educate other security practitioners.
But the trend is not without controversy as privacy and civil liberties advocates push to place limits on the use of biometrics—especially facial recognition—by government authorities. Ashwin D’Cruz, senior machine learning engineer at Motorola Solutions, will touch on a few of these developments in his X Learning Stage presentation “Why Facial Recognition isn’t the Holy Grail of People Tracking.”
Still looking for more resources? Or reading and podcast material while in route to Atlanta or waiting for your digital session? Check out our September/October issue of Security Management or visit our Security Technology and Security Management Highlights podcast archives.
