Compliance, Security, Risk…and Pancakes!

I see a lot of discussions in magazines and on social networking sites about Compliance Management, Security Management and Risk Management.  And depending on the focus of the magazine you are reading or the topic of the discussion group you are following, Compliance people have their view, Information Security people have their view and Risk Management people have their view on how they should be aligned within the organization.

Maybe PANCAKES can help sort out the confusion.  Pancakes are the result of three primary ingredients – Flour, Eggs, Milk – and as we all know, some pancakes are much better than others.

Pancakes depend on those three primary ingredients but also on having the right “tools” to:

• Measure the proper amount of each 
• Combine the ingredients into the right consistency
• Cook the pancakes
• Serve the pancakes

Pancakes are even better when other ingredients – butter, syrup, bacon, fruit, etc. – are carefully added in the right amount at the right time.

The lesson learned from PANCAKES is that all the primary ingredients are needed…but the best pancakes require a chef that understands how to properly combine the ingredients and has the right tools to achieve the results they want. 

Organizational leaders will achieve better results if they understand how to combine the right amounts of Compliance, Security and Risk and have the right tools to “connect the dots”.  Individuals need to have the right information/ingredients in the right places at the right time to achieve better decisions and better results.