Despite my disdain for Kobe Bryant (it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with his team; sorry I am not a Laker fan) I learned something about compliance from him this past week. Kobe is a great basket ball player, an MVP with four championship rings, yet he is always looking to improve his game. Instead of becoming complacent, with his rings and MVP title, this past summer he sought the help of another great, Hakeem Olajuwon, to help him with his game. Wow, what passion, humility and drive.
I immediately thought of the stamp of approval we get from regulatory auditors. Compliant! That’s our MVP title – FFIEC compliant, PCI complaint, HIPAA Compliant. Unfortunately as soon as the auditor leaves a new season starts and that title becomes obsolete. As a result organizations must make security a priority and strive to be compliant not just during audit ‘season’, but EVERYDAY. There is always a new threat, a new virus and a new scam. Let’s take a page from Kobe’s book and approach our security initiatives with passion, drive and diligence. Let’s not get complacent with ‘titles’ and check marks but use them to challenge us to keep our customer data safe. Let’s make security and compliance continuous.
Perhaps I don’t dislike Kobe as much after all….hmmm