With any corporate investment, there is always a careful balance between the cost to the organization and the benefit it brings. Right now, budgets are under huge pressure because of the unprecedented challenges of the global COVID pandemic, forcing companies to make difficult decisions about where to make cuts. At the same time, we’ve seen a huge jump in the volume and frequency of cyber attacks due to the increased numbers of employees working from home and accessing corporate systems over external networks. This is not the time to cut corners on information security.
Barbara Guerin, Chief Information Security Officer at Renown Health, joins host Jeanne Cuff in this month’s podcast episode to share her insight into how organizations can avoid information security breaches. According to Guerin, an effective cyber security and risk mitigation approach must start by gaining board engagement and include focusing on third-party governance and recognizing that humans are usually the weakest link in a corporate system.
The importance of information security will only grow with increasing digitization of businesses. Women entering the IT job market can anticipate a wealth of job opportunities opening in this area. Those with analytical mindsets and a head for psychology and forensics will do well to consider this field!
Meet the hosts
Lois Coatney
Lois Coatney has been the ideal guiding advocate for her Fortune 500 clients, whom she has consistently helped get the most value out of their service providers and supply bases. That’s because, for more than two decades, Lois was the service provider. Today, as ISG’s President of Americas Sales, she is central to driving the firm’s revenue and growth.
Past achievements for clients
Throughout her career, Lois has consulted clients on their operating models and organizational designs so that they can work most effectively internally. She’s pivoted that experience to her approach to her current role, which goes much further than looking at the numbers and bottom line. She examines what ISG’s strengths are and considers how the firm can put its best foot forward to sell its services. Pairing that with a deep understanding of clients’ needs and of ISG’s function in the market, Lois makes decisions on how the firm can enhance those same offerings. She also views her work as a worthwhile means to strengthen ISG’s client relationships, which she contributes to by mentoring ISG account executives.
Lois’s expertise in contracting, experience in supplier management and willingness to travel across the globe to create something new and modern have enabled her to:
- Lead and roll out ISG GovernX®, a tool that directly helps clients and their businesses manage third-party risk, solve governance and service integration challenges, and drive optimal performance of their sources.
- Help a large governmental client migrate their $2.2 Billion annual IT spend to a consumption-based procurement model.
Jeanne Cuff
LinkedIn Profile
