CDSA

CPS 2018: Convergent Risks Exec: Better Preparation Can Help Cut Down on Security Emergencies

All too often, businesses are faced with irreversible nightmare scenarios that, likely with better preparation, could have been averted, according to Janice Pearson, VP of global content protection at Convergent Risks.

“Keep in mind that every organization is different and has its own risk tolerance and organizational structure,” she said Dec. 5, during an afternoon Performance & Monitoring breakout session called “Are you Ready to Handle a Security Emergency?” at the annual Content Protection Summit, presented by the Content Delivery & Security Association (CDSA).

During the interactive, thought-provoking session, a fictitious security emergency scenario was presented to the audience who then voted on the possible courses of action to take and in which priority, using a mobile app giving live results on the presentation screen. The panel and audience then debated the pros and cons and implications of each action.

Responses varied based in part on the unique aspects of each attendee’s organization, so there were no right and wrong answers, according to Pearson, who noted during the session that one security challenge organizations face is when they start dealing with external stakeholders including digital new digital partners.

Pearson cautioned that if you’re going undercover online to track down a pirate, “make sure that you’re following your company’s social media policy regarding how you’re communicating with people like this.” Otherwise, she said, “it can … create some other issues” for your organization, she noted. How one communicates with a potential pirate when going undercover also has to be “in line with” the marketing and public relations departments’ messaging at your organization, she said.

Another challenge comes with short-form contact, where you sometimes can’t have a forensic watermark, she went on to say. She also urged attendees to make sure they’ve properly vetted all their vendors through extensive security reviews. Implementing an instant response plan and keeping it up to date is important, she said, noting it’s important to make certain “your workflows are in agreement with your plan,” she said.

The session was hosted by Pearson. Ben Schofield (an application and cloud digital media consultant), Consultant Risks CEO Chris Johnson and Consultant Risks consultant and advisor Mathew Gilliat-Smith were also on the panel.

“There was a great exchange of views and opinions highlighting the fact that risk tolerance and internal procedures will impact how we respond to an incident but if we’re prepared, we’re likely to have a better outcome,” Pearson said after the session. She added: “We were very pleased with the feedback and interest levels in this topic and are planning to hold a half-day seminar in the new year to provide a similar interactive forum for more speakers to share and compare experiences.”

The session attracted such a large audience that there was standing room only with many people outside the room.

“This was a great turnout from studios, vendors and technology partners, giving a clear signal that there is a strong appetite from across the sector to learn more about preparing for the inevitable hack or leak,” Pearson said.

The 2018 CDSA Content Protection Summit was presented by SafeStream, and sponsored by Edgescan, Microsoft Azure, LiveTiles, Aspera, Amazon Web Services, Convergent Risks, Dolby, Illumio, NAGRA, EIDR, the Trusted Partner Network (TPN), Videocites, Human-i-t, Telesoft and Bob Gold and Associates and is produced by the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance (MESA) in association with CDSA, the Hollywood IT Society (HITS), Smart Content Council and Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH).