Based on the author's more than 25 years of experience of management in the aluminum industry, this article sets out replicable ways of dealing with and harmonizing competing priorities.
Currently within the purview of the Department of Homeland Security and its subsidiary the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Agency, the designation of 16 sectors of critical infrastructure and the responsibility for assuring their security and resilience encompass nearly every vital economic activity.
Similar requirements for these organizations are in large part applicable to those levied upon my industry.
While specifically only applicable to the aluminum market, the current situation illustrates how an industry can face forces which can fundamentally impair its ability to support a vigorous sector of our critical infrastructure.
Your industry will probably face different challenges, but the principles of responding to such threats are likely to be very similar.
Without needlessly reciting history or straying far from the thrust of this article, the nub of the matter is that the American aluminum industry is currently about 1 million metric tons of processed aluminum short of the annual needs of the critical manufacturing sector.
Tariffs were originally intended to accomplish one or more of several principal purposes: protection of domestic industry, raise revenue, and modify the behavior of market participants.
They can also stifle the legitimate needs of American industry.
That is where things stand in my industry - we are hobbled by the conflict of several governmental imperatives.
Of course, there are the obvious applications of IT and OT in the aluminum industry, just as there are in the endeavors of readers of Cyber Defense Magazine.
Participants in the aluminum industry rely on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, IT, OT, and other computer-based systems.
Risk Management is another overlap in our activities, especially choosing which risks to retain and resolve and which ones to lay off on a third party We also must recognize that compliance with Legal and Regulatory requirements may not always be sufficient to avoid liability for our organization's acts or omissions.
We have established ourselves in the industry as both a niche player and a vertical expansion vehicle.
As we source products to deliver and support the critical infrastructure sector of manufacturing, and aluminum in particular, we conduct very detailed information and analysis of supply and demand data, our competitors, and relevant trends affecting our business.
Any organization operating in an industry subject to State and federal laws and regulations, or doing business directly with any level of government, or receiving any funding from government sources, inevitably faces requirements to comply with some form of statute or regulation.
In general, we prefer to avoid the costly and lengthy judicial process, but we do follow legal actions taken by others in our industry, including the trade associations of which we are members or supporters.
Last, but never least, we work to support and coordinate our activities with the communities where we have operations or where others in our industry can do so.
Its importance is demonstrated by the awareness of top management and directors of organizations, and further reflected in the budget and staffing provisions in this area.
The CISO does not exist in a vacuum, and the successful integration of cybersecurity into the organization's overall activities depends on navigating a broad two-way street: the CISO must keep current on the mission and values of the organization, and the leaders of the organization must assure that all employees, from top to bottom, are cognizant and duly respect the role of cybersecurity.
Brian Hesse is Co-Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of PerenniAL. He has 26 years of experience in the aluminum industry in a variety of executive leadership, sales and marketing positions, including President/Chief Executive Officer for the Americas at Rusal America Corporation; Vice President/Sales and Marketing for the Americas at Vedanta Resources Limited; Global Defense Sales Director and Americas Sales Director - Industrial at Aleris International, Inc.; and Director of Global Accounts at Ryerson Corporation, where he began his career in the industry.
This Cyber News was published on www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Publication date: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:43:05 +0000