Industry View

The Security Laugh Metric

Numbers are great, but here's a much simpler way to measure any organization's security sophistication

By Ben Rothke

Those who laugh at security need to understand that they, like everyone else, are a target. Consequently, their organizations need to take information security as seriously as they take toner security.

Information security is no laughing matter. When security recommendations are laughed at, it is a sure confirmation that the something is amiss. Following the laugh up with an incredulous comment simply reinforces that finding.

The laugh metric, short, sweet, and devastatingly accurate. ##

Ben Rothke, CISSP, QSA, (ben.rothke@bt.com) is a Security Consultant with BT Professional Services and the author of Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee Should Know (McGraw-Hill Professional Education).

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