Play Podcast  (Right click to download)

As chief information security officer at BT Radianz, one of the world's largest financial network service providers, Lloyd Hession has no trouble picking his battles when it comes to network vulnerabilities. He offers this simple philosophy: Know which ones to be fixed right away, and which ones can be safely put off for later. As a proactive measure, Hession uses Symantec's security intelligence service on BT Radianz's network, which spans 40 countries and connects more than 9,000 of the world largest financial firms with 150 exchanges. The service enables Hession and his staff to stay on top of the latest threats, allowing for adequate time to figure out what to do about them.

People in management positions usually feel the pressure to be risk takers. However, this trend doesn't apply to a chief information security officer. Hession says that people who manage security should avoid becoming a "dumping group" for every risk. He, in turn, expects the people responsible for the project to accept and acknowledge the level of risk they are introducing. To this end, Hession prefers to spend his time educating and making business people aware of risk, and helping them find ways to reduce it. When Hession decides to take a risk, he does so by hang gliding.

Resources

Look Risk in the Eye

Companies take to the Security Warpath

Pick Your Security Battles

Bio

Lloyd Hession has been Chief Security Officer of BT Radianz Inc., the world's largest financial services extranet, since shortly after it's inception in 2000. Mr. Hession is responsible for the security of a global critical infrastructure spanning 40 countries and connecting over 9000 of the world's largest financial firms with over 150 exchanges, market data and financial information providers, all of whom rely on Radianz to route, execute and settle trades totaling trillions of dollars per day. Previously, Mr. Hession served as Chief Architect of Internet Security at IBM, and Managing Director of Security and Risk Management Practices at Giga Information Group (now Forrester Research. He has also helped shape public policy on security strategy and regulations by advising the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on the security of internet banking and brokerage systems, training federal financial examiners, and providing assistance to law enforcement and other government agencies on technical matters.

Production Credits

Elizabeth Ferrarini, Producer
Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Kimberly Stone, Web Development Manager
Scott Ebner, Web Developer