Date: May 27, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM EDT | 8:30 AM CDT | 7:00 PM IST
Topic: From Reactive to Resilient: Rethinking Strategic Cybersecurity Planning
Abstract:
The number of critical vulnerabilities increased by 38% in 2024 (Gamblin, 2025), and the trend doesn’t appear likely to reverse any time soon. Security has an interesting problem when it comes to planning. On the one hand, cybersecurity professionals are supposed to look into the future and predict what the organization is going to be exposed to from a threat perspective, and yet, in practice, almost everything they do in the day-to-day operations of security is focused on preventing change. Cybersecurity professionals need to have an effective strategic plan to build a security environment that not only protects the organization but also enables it to adapt and thrive in today’s highly volatile and uncertain threat environment. Doing this in practice will require challenging some of the most fundamental assumptions about what “strategic planning” for cybersecurity means and what it produces. In this webinar, attendees will learn an alternative approach to effective strategic planning for cybersecurity. This approach, derived from the work of Russell Ackoff—a pioneer in systems thinking—provides cybersecurity professionals with insights into how to align more closely with their organization and effectively demonstrate the relevance and value of their security program to executive leadership and the board.
Key takeaways:
- Why the traditional approach to strategic planning is fundamentally flawed
- How a preoccupation with threats and vulnerabilities undermines effective cybersecurity planning
- A new way to think about security that enables easier strategic alignment and planning than the traditional view
- What cybersecurity professionals misunderstand about cybersecurity risk management
- The right focus to support effective strategic planning, no matter what happens in the external threat environment
Speaker:
Andrew S. Townley,Founder and Chief Executive of Archistry
Bio: Andrew S. Townley is a global strategist, architect, and thought leader in security, risk, and business execution. With a career spanning three decades, he has led multimillion-dollar projects, founded four companies, and guided executives and security leaders through some of their toughest challenges. As Chief Executive of Archistry, he helps organizations turn security from a business obstacle into a competitive advantage. Known for his systems-thinking approach and ability to connect disciplines in unexpected ways, Andrew is a sought-after speaker, author of multiple books—including From Invisible Crisis to Competitive Advantage, and publisher of the Security Sanity™ newsletter. His clients describe him as “part genius, part mad scientist” for his ability to translate ideas into concrete action that drives real results.
