From CSO, many thanks

The focus of CSO (print, online, and conferences) has always been on the audience.

Before the magazine launched, we assembled an advisory board of industry luminaries and asked what we should cover and how. To Bob Weaver, Dan Geer, Dorothy Denning (and others)—thanks.

After we published our first issue in September 2002, I started emailing readers, a dozen each month, asking for their reactions and input. Their responses further shaped our direction. To Scott Urbach, Eliot Irons, John Pontrelli, Steve Akridge, Andy Reeder, Chris Hawley (and others)—I still have the notes from our conversations. Thanks.

Some readers didn’t wait for us to call. They came knocking. A fondly remembered visit to our offices from George Campbell, Lynn Mattice and David Kent helped confirm, sharpen or totally redirect (depending on who you ask) our thinking about corporate and physical security, fraud prevention, business continuity and much more.

“You have an opportunity to do this right,” they told us, meaning that we could and should be inclusive of many risk-related disciplines. Thanks to them as well.

I’ve worked on CSO from its inception, and with this issue we celebrate 10 years of publishing, and 10 years’ growth and success for the security profession. The Decade of the CSO.

Our September cover story (Ready for Anything) looks at some of the specific progress you’ve made in becoming central to the ability of your organizations to fully understand, and begin to mitigate, the myriad risks they face.

The end of one decade is the beginning of another. As we move forward—as you move forward—I have a favor to ask. If you are a long-time reader, please take two minutes to send me an email (dslater@cxo.com) and give me your feedback.

What are we doing right? What are we missing? How do you like our new magazine design, particularly our new sections (Tech, Risk, and Lead)? How is our website serving your needs? What should we cover more, or less?

And what’s your biggest challenge for the new decade?