CSO challenges

The challenges of a CSO job are very well stated in this CSO Magazine article. One of the statements caught my eye:

"Business Continuity Planning is like concern for the Environment. Something that can only be reliably practiced by the well off. Protecting the rain forests is important to citizens of developed countries lacking rain forests. For citizens of rain forest areas, the main concern is getting by, feeding the kids and survival, which doesn't necessarily equate to protecting the environment, and can actually lead them to cut valuable trees for charcoal to use for cooking fires. In a similar manner, maintaining redundant systems of production and building hardened sites for maintaining business continuity requires a vision beyond the bottom line. If the sky falls, those who set aside the resources for BCP will shine, however, until the sky falls the BC planner looks like a spendthrift and is in the sights of the budget cutter. When the disaster strikes the poor planner has the best excuse in the world, it was God's will. HSD did the best it could during Katrina, The intelligence agencies did the best they could during 9/11. No one can blame them right? Everyone understands lack of foresight, we are all guilty of that, the ones who seem to survive best are the ones whose heads are in the sand. Those who actually foresee a disaster like those are negligent if they cannot share their vision. So, why bother? It doesn't bode well for getting the committment required to spend the money and avoid cutting it during the next budget cycle."

Terry Clark
IT Director
The Republic