Organizations must constantly adapt their strategies against threat actors in today’s fast-changing environment. Proofpoint helps organizations worldwide do exactly that. And we offer them much more than just cybersecurity solutions. As an industry leader, we boost our customers’ cyber resilience by delivering actionable insights, research and education.
That’s why I’m excited about Proofpoint recently joining Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan (CAMS), an interdisciplinary consortium whose goal is to create groundbreaking ideas for cyber-resilient organizations and improve critical infrastructure security.
Formerly known as (IC)3, CAMS is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. It focuses “on the strategic, managerial, and operational issues related to cybersecurity.” The consortium brings together some of the top minds from MIT and other collaborating universities, government agencies, and the private sector to produce advanced research on cybersecurity issues related to critical infrastructure.
CAMS also engages cybersecurity leaders in various members-only educational events designed to provide insights into current thinking and help them make important decisions about their organizations’ security and resilience. Additionally, the group offers educational opportunities to nonmembers through workshops and other events.
Unlike other research organizations, CAMS funds its research through consortium memberships. Members like Proofpoint fund the group’s work, joining in a common goal of solving cybersecurity challenges.
An exciting opportunity to collaborate on research
As a partner member, Proofpoint will have the chance to participate in joint research programs with CAMS. Their robust research program aligns well with many of our focus areas, including:
- Cybersecurity leadership in the organization
- Organizational cybersecurity culture
- Board and C-level education on cybersecurity
- Vulnerability research
- Cyber-risk evaluation and metrics
Past CAMS projects have answered fundamental questions such as what role the board of directors plays in keeping the organization secure, how regulations and compliance hinder or benefit cybersecurity, and how to educate executives so they can create cyber-resilient organizations. Our participation with CAMS provides access to this kind of leading thought leadership that will enhance our expertise and benefit our customers.
Several of CAMS’ research priorities for 2022 are areas of special interest to Proofpoint, including cybersecurity culture and governance. These are timely topics we’ve devoted much effort to, and we’ve made substantial investments in the areas of information protection, insider threat visibility, board engagement and data ownership best practices. We look forward to collaborating with CAMS on research that unveils new critical insights for cybersecurity leaders in these matters.
Access to learning and insights that can help improve our strategies
One of the most significant benefits of Proofpoint becoming a CAMS member is the opportunity to share experiences with chief information security officers (CISOs) and chief security officers (CSOs) across different sectors. As security leaders, we must constantly grow and learn from our peers and other organizations.
That’s one reason Proofpoint conducts research that seeks to understand current trends and practices. For example, our annual “Voice of the CISO” report examines security leaders’ mindsets and strategies, while our “Human Factor” report highlights some of last year’s biggest threats. This research enables organizations to take action that boosts their security posture and helps protect them from people-centric threats.
By understanding current practices and benchmarking our organizations against others, we can better identify areas to improve our strategies. CAMS provides us an avenue for this kind of learning and collaboration through members-only events such as roundtables and innovation symposiums.
It thrills us to join other security thought leaders to share our insights and expertise, learn from their experiences, and contribute, together, to improving critical infrastructure security and resilience. And I’m excited to have the chance to join a panel on July 19, 2022, at the 16th Annual MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality (CDOIQ) Symposium to discuss how chief data officers can better protect data within their organizations.
Learn more about the event here.
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