Security leaders discuss strategies for managing intense stress during incidents, particularly during the SolarWinds incident. They explore the toll it takes on their well-being, the challenges of managing stress within teams, and the importance of support from the community. Strategies for coping with stress, addressing security risks with shadow SaaS apps, building support networks, and challenges in incident management training are also discussed.
Managing personal and others' stress during major incidents requires acknowledging the impact on personal and home life and seeking support from colleagues, community, and loved ones.
Setting clear expectations, effective communication, and managing stakeholder interactions are crucial aspects of managing major incidents.
Deep dives
Managing Stress and Support During Major Incidents
During major incidents, it is essential to manage and support both your own stress and the stress of those around you. The CISO of SolarWinds, Tim Brown, shares his experience of dealing with incredible stress during the SolarWinds incident. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and limiting the impact of the incident on personal and home life. Brown highlights the need for support from colleagues, community, and loved ones, as well as setting boundaries and ensuring mental health and wellness. Collaborating with external partners and experts can also alleviate stress by taking on specific roles and reducing the overall burden. Brown's experience underscores the significance of having a strong support system and implementing strategies to manage stress during major incidents.
The Importance of Setting Expectations and Communication
One of the key aspects of managing major incidents is setting clear expectations and effective communication. The podcast highlights the importance of managing the expectations of leadership, stakeholders, and customers. Being realistic with timelines, due dates, and regularly updating leadership before they ask can help in mitigating stress and minimizing time-wasting inquiries. The guests on the podcast recommend maintaining frequent and concise communication with clear intents and managing stakeholder interactions. Additionally, establishing a source of truth, providing consistent messaging, and documenting information help disseminate accurate information and guide timely decision-making.
Supporting Your Incident Response Team
Supporting the incident response team is crucial during major incidents. The podcast discusses the significance of recognizing that not everyone may be well-suited for incident management and providing adequate training and development for effective response. Creating a structured environment and ensuring calmness, control, and connectedness among team members helps prevent burnout and maintain productivity. The inclusion of external partners or experts in incident response can distribute the workload and provide expert guidance. Acknowledging the impact on home life and providing support for team members and their families fosters resilience and helps manage stress levels effectively.
Learning from Major Incidents and Building Resilience
Major incidents offer valuable learning opportunities and can help organizations build resilience. The podcast emphasizes the importance of learning from the experience and using it to improve incident response capabilities. By analyzing and documenting the incident, organizations can identify areas for improvement, train team members, and implement changes to enhance incident response preparedness. The guests stress the significance of having support from the cybersecurity community, friends, and family. They suggest establishing relationships before incidents and providing support during and after the incident to help build resilience and ensure the well-being of the incident response team.
All links and images for this episode can be found on CISO Series.
When you have an incident and you're engulfed by the stress that lasts more than a day, how do you manage and deal with it? And not only how do you manage your stress, but how do you manage everyone else's?
Do you have visibility of all the SaaS apps your employees are storing corporate data on? Are employees protecting all their accounts against identity-based attacks?Discover all the SaaS your employees use - including shadow apps and identities - and secure your data. Find out more at pushsecurity.com.
In this episode:
When you have an incident and you're engulfed by the stress that lasts more than a day, how do you manage and deal with it?
And not only how do you manage your stress, but how do you manage everyone else's?
During a major incident, which stress is more difficult to manage? Your own, or those around you?
How is this everyone's concern?
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