To solve problems is expected. The get up every morning and work on what you are supposed to work on is a given. It is built into the expectations and pricing of what you are paid and expected to do. But value is something more. It is that extra thing that gives your product or service the motive force it needs to move forward and at greater speed. Or to progress with less cost or less labor.
Real value is how to give your customer or client what they want and more. It is the ability to make them stand up and say. “Wow I never thought of it like that. That really helps thank you.” That is value and it is rare. Your ability to give value is what makes you stand out. It gives you what you need to actually make a profit instead of just doing what the other guy does.
Where is Your Value?
When you run your business how much value do you add to the business? I mean real value. Not just keep it going in the same direction for the same amount plus a little bit of cost savings along the way. How are you truly innovating? Cybersecurity is a way to add tremendous value. If you doubt this just look at what cybersecurity costs the average company. And the ability to avoid this cost is real savings. And if it is done in a consistent and demonstrable way you will see real value.
This question is Germaine, because we are trying to add value every day. Yes, we want to add value in our cybersecurity also. Value in cybersecurity is coming up with ways to protect your organization in a much more effective way than before. Adding value is meeting the challenge of new and persistent threats before they are at your doorstep. How are you doing this? The best way is through innovation.
Innovation
So, ask yourself what innovation are you pursuing in your cybersecurity? I don’t expect you as an executive to come up with some type of new product or service. Some new invention. You are not a technologist. But there are ways to build more value and innovate in your cybersecurity posture.
Henry Ford was a great innovator. What was his greatest innovation? It was the moving assembly line. This was a new way of building cars affordably. William Durant was a great innovator at General Motors. Did he invent a new type of car? No. He went out and amassed a lineup of cars to appeal to every segment of American society. He found a way to market more effectively.
In cybersecurity the simple act of getting your board of directors involved in your cybersecurity posture and strategy can result in a 53% reduction in major attacks. That is innovation and it does not require any technical skill or value. So, don’t just be involved in problem solving. Get involved in the innovation of your cybersecurity. Get in front of the problems that are headed your way before they happen. So you can find ways to add real value to your organization.