P-CSO Bootcamp Revamp

As you know I spent Wednesday with Mike Rothman and the other brave adventurers on the Maiden Voyage of the Pragmatic CSO Boot camp. As I said it was a day well spent. Especially considering the fact that I just moved into a new position where I am in charge of security for all practical purposes. I'm not the CSO but it's up to me to ensure that we are secure. If I fail it's my head. Since I'm new here I have the opportunity to implement the steps in the P-CSO methodology from the very beginning so the timing was right.

We started at 9 and went until around 4. It was a small group (I think 10 is the most that Mike wants at one time) which was good. It allowed us all to share and learn from one another as we went over each of the 12 steps. The background of the guys that attended was varied but we all had the common understanding of security principles. We talked about what worked and what didn't work. Told stories about being hacked and cleaning up after the hack.

Mike took us through each step and allowed us to interact and ask questions. He didn't push us or force us to hurry onto the next section. The material was what is in the book and then some. He has some "freebies" that he gave us that adds value. He was able to expand on some topics based on his own experiences and on feedback that he has received from others.

Now I'm gonna dust off my copy of the book and take it, the materials and new knowledge I gained from the boot camp and prepare to kick butt in my new job.

If you get the chance plan on attending the next time he offers this. It's well worth it for CSO's, Security Managers and techies. Something for everyone.