We often speak about the rate of change in today’s fast paced business environment and the challenges associated with trying to keep up and adapt. So why does “operating in a reactive mode” keep getting a bad name? What’s so inherently wrong with that? Wouldn’t “not” reacting be worse? And what other choice do we have…really? Heck in some cases not only does it make sense to “wait and see,” there’s practically no other option.
The reality is there’s actually a lot of truth in that contrarian view. If you’re able to react quickly and effectively and manage the churn reasonably well then yes, on any given day things are probably fine. You monitor a few metrics here and there and things hum right along. That is until they don’t.
While the faceless straw man has always been available to enliven the debate, for the longest time it was limited to the theoretical and therefore easy to disregard, or at least to tune out. But that was then and today things look much different. Today we need terms like advanced persistent threat, global hacktivism and crushing regulatory pressure to even begin to describe the business environment we’re all operating in. Yesterday chances were the infrequent normal network anomaly actually was just a power spike. Today it could legitimately be the ground zero event that signaled the end of your business.
And therein lies the first big problem with being strictly reactive. Even with vigilant preparation it’s simply becoming less and less effective to procrastinate until there’s something tangible to react to. Inherent operational risk has skyrocketed in today’s interconnected global marketplace. Combined with the volume and velocity of changes an average organization deals with it’s become too much for many to keep in check, which is the second big problem with a purely reactive posture. Companies that can’t react efficiently enough to beat the buzzer to do so have by definition failed to react in time.
The good news is there is an alternative approach to reposition further ahead of the threat landscape and reclaim that lost time horizon. It begins with increasing our inherent risk intelligence and a philosophy shift toward choosing to actively hunt for threats to the business just like we hunt for opportunities. Because today those two concepts are in fact one and the same and those able to embrace that new operational paradigm will not only survive, they'll thrive. We remain vocal about our belief that the ability to harness risk and transform compliance is an untapped source of competitive advantage to fuel the enterprise. That’s why we’re so excited to announce the upcoming launch of RSA Archer GRC 6!
With loads of new features to bring technology and business processes together we’ll not only enable but INSPIRE everyone to own risk within an organization:
- A new user experience for all RSA Archer GRC solutions, including a walk-up friendly, task-driven user interface and drag-and-drop advanced workflow functionality. All solutions will see the updated interface that includes the new color scheme, fonts, icons, navigation and more. Advanced configuration options include task-driven landing screen integration, workflow chevrons, action-driven user interface, multi-layout workflow, and more.
- Identify, assess and act on known and emerging risks – RSA Archer Operational Risk Management provides an end-to-end risk management framework to identify, assess, decision, treat, and monitor existing and emerging operational risks. Archer’s advanced workflow capabilities enable first line of defense business unit managers and second line of defense risk managers to quickly and easily adjust risk management processes as part of their daily routine.
- New capabilities for RSA Archer Operational Risk Management risk and control self-assessment lifecycle functionality; enhancements for loss event origination, routing, and approval; and metrics management. Plus, improved out-of- the-box workflow, reports, user personas and dashboards that align with the “three lines of defense” principle.
RSA Archer GRC 6 is the latest milestone in our GRC mission, which is to equip you with the best possible tools to navigate your own GRC journeys. By connecting the dots between key business elements, strategies, risks, and obligations, organizations can get a clear picture across the entire enterprise to make proactive decisions that minimize the effects of external change and maximize opportunities to grow the bottom line.
Don’t miss our Virtual Launch event Tuesday, November 10th at 11:00 EST to hear how RSA Archer 6 can inspire your users to own risk.
