5 Tips for Partnering With Your IT Security Team

For a number of reasons, the cyberthreat landscape is becoming murkier and more difficult to predict. And IT security teams are feeling extra pressure to ensure all the various endpoints are protected. Now more than ever, they need to be supported and empowered in order to deliver the most they humanly can. How can this be done?

Here are some key strategies that can be deployed quickly and easily:

One of the very basic human needs is to be listened to and heard. In many organizations, there isn’t enough communication among the C-Suite, the CISO, and the IT security teams. This disconnect hinders the team from having a clear vision of who is expecting what to get accomplished. Now that we are living in a new norm, it’s time to change this by fostering a sense of open communication and assurance that the IT security team will be heard by the higher-ups. There must be a two-way flow of communication established so that they know what to expect. Also, they need to have their ideas and plans heard so that they know their efforts are not going for naught. In this regard, it is very important that you spend time on a regular basis with the broader team, even if it is just a phone call or a video conference meeting. Just the fact knowing that they are being listened to in an honest and open format will be a prime motivator in and of itself.

The last thing your IT security team needs is to be micromanaged. Instead of having each employee submit progress reports of what has happened in terms of fighting threat variants, create a chain of command. For example, break the IT security team into different subgroups that are captained by team leaders. They should report to this person, and in turn, team leaders should report to roles such as the CISO. This will alleviate the fear that the C-Suite is always watching over them, which can be a huge, constant worry, and even be detrimental to getting the job done and mission accomplished.

You don’t want any members of the team to feel stifled in their current positions so it is very important to show you care about their professional growth. To do so, perhaps sponsor them to get the training needed to pass an exam for a new certification that they have been wanting to get. Also, try to have training sessions on a weekly basis to keep your team members current on the latest threat variants that are coming out. Perhaps even provide an educational forum for them so that they can learn more about the latest tools and technologies. Showing that you are personally vested in their respective career goals and interests will greatly help to foster proactive mindsets.

This is something that will cost you nothing. If there is something you think needs improvement, offer tactful, constructive criticism. Consider using this approach, “Hey, maybe you could implement XYZ instead of what is currently being done.” Then follow that up with a healthy dose of positive feedback. Remember, even a little pat on the back on a regular basis can ignite human motivation to a degree you may not have ever seen before.

The final tip (and no surprise coming from us)! Make sure you are using the right technology. With FTK Enterprise, your entire organization / agency will be set up for success as challenges emerge. Enterprise will make “business as usual” easier than you think. These days, there is more opportunity for fraud, IP theft, ransomware and breaches to occur. You might be trying to understand how to collect data from employees who are now working from home, while also thinking about how you can collect data from sources in the cloud, like MS Teams, Google Drive, and Gmail. The upcoming release (watch for it, end of January) allows you to collect from more places than ever before. FTK Enterprise is the first forensic solution to offer in-network collection, superior Mac Collection, off-network collection and cloud data source collection—all in one product!

What’s holding you back in creating the best team your organization has ever known? Get started implementing these tips today.

Find more information about FTK Enterprise HERE.