David Spark

Quote, if your program only works when you sit high enough in the hierarchy it was fragile to begin with, end quote.

For Brian Blakely of Bellini Capital, the perpetual reporting line debate is a distraction.

Security is a horizontal function in a vertical world.

You don't control engineering, HR operations or sales, regardless of who you report to.

You get things done through influence, credibility and risk communication that lands with operators and executives alike.

That's a lateral game and no org chart position plays it for you.

Quote, if I only reported to the CISO, quote, isn't a structural critique.

It's an excuse.

So I'm going to start with you, Mike Mello, on this.

How should security leaders build cross-functional credibility before they have the positional authority to demand it?

So, I mean, literally, this is actually for someone who could be nowhere near the CISO position.

I'd like to know what they could do.

What do you think?

And everything you're saying, correct me if I'm wrong, is something anybody can talk about in security.

Like it doesn't have to be the CISO, correct?

That's a great line.

Oh, that's a quote we're keeping right there.

All right, Mike Johnson, try to beat that.

Good point.

Yeah.