Why CISOs Should Solve Business Problems, Not Technology Problems

The New CISO

In this episode of The New CISO, Steve is joined by guest Scott Moser, CISO at the Sabre Corporation.

After twenty-five years, Scott retired from the Air Force to try his hand at the private sector. Now, Scott is transforming the CISO role from technical expert to business executive. Listen to the episode to learn more about Scott’s professional journey, being a customer-focused security professional, and what he learned from the Sabre interview process.

Listen to Steve and Scott discuss contributing to the success of your organization and the importance of transparency:

Meet Scott (1:44)

Scott explains that Sabre is a software often used by hotels and airlines since the sixties. As a result, data protection is of the utmost importance to Scott in his CISO role.

Scott then explores his career journey, where he started in the Air Force and eventually retired as a Colonel. During this time, he did cybersecurity-related work, which led him to the career he has today.

Broad Experience (9:33)

Scott shares how he had the opportunity to lead and mentor many people during his time in the Air Force, including police officers, firefighters, and more.

He believes this time gave him the broad experience to communicate with business leaders. Now, he also meets with his customers, where he can easily explain the value that Sabre software can provide them, showing the value of a customer-focused CISO.

The Importance of Trust (16:05)

As CISOs, it’s essential to represent your company to customers and business leaders alike successfully. To do that, Scott recommends building trust, which requires significant transparency.

A culture of trust will help your team through challenging times, so you should prioritize this when times are good.

Effective Prep (24:40)

Scott mentors his team by giving effective feedback and assessing his employee’s strengths. He works with his team to perfect their skill sets, including public speaking since that is a crucial part of business leadership.

As long as people are doing the right thing, they shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes, learn, and grow because it strengthens the company in the long run. Ultimately, we must transform ourselves to be what our organization needs.

Scott’s Presentation (28:55)

Steve asks Scott about his popular CISO leadership presentation. Scott reveals that this presentation is a passion project of his because he wants to be more than just a technical expert but a business leader.

Scott had to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses to become the CISO he wanted to be, which informed his presentation.

An Aha Moment (33:44)

For Scott, his interview process at Sabre informed his perspective on becoming a business leader. When board members interviewed him, he understood what they wanted from their CISO.

Board members want security professionals who think about improving the business, not just the technical side of the job.

One Last Thing (41:46)

Steve presses Scott on the last piece of advice he wishes to share. Scott tells the audience always to take advantage of a good crisis because it is the smartest time to get your organization to make a necessary change.

The New CISO (44:42)

To Scott, being a new CISO means being a business executive leader focused on the customer and financial success of the company.

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