Digital Discipline & Vulnerability Management: What You Need to Know as a Modern Manager
Digital technologies are at the foundation of how virtually every company does business these days. Regardless of the industry you’re in or the operational function you’re managing, there’s likely complex digital infrastructure facilitating your team’s day-to-day processes, and that infrastructure is only going to grow with time. While this of course brings considerable benefits, it does also come with additional considerations that you need to take into account, like how to maximize the ROI of technologies and use them intelligently to maintain a strong security posture.
If you don’t work in your company’s IT department, you could be forgiven for thinking that this kind of thing is not your concern, but the reality is that managerial roles are evolving. Businesses are constantly expanding their IT stacks, adding more and more moving parts that can affect operational continuity and security. So, as a manager, you need to think bigger, because the scope of your role no longer just comprises people and processes, but also the digital ecosystems they rely on.
This is where digital discipline truly matters. So, let’s delve into the meaning of digital discipline and how it can benefit your management style.
What does digital discipline mean?
Digital discipline is an approach to the implementation of tech that focuses on the mindful, intentional, and consistent utilization. Too often, digital technologies are regarded as background utilities, and this can lead to underutilization, misuse, security vulnerabilities, and other issues which could potentially hinder productivity. Practising digital discipline is all about actively managing your digital systems as operational assets, the same way you manage your personnel.
We can outline the key tenets of digital discipline as follows.
Awareness
You should maintain an ongoing comprehensive understanding of the tools in use at your company. This also means understanding how they interconnect with other systems.
Accountability
You should strive for complete clarity regarding the use of digital tools. This means assigning dedicated personnel to oversee and document each digital workflow within your department.
Risk management
You should aim to monitor your digital systems continuously. This way, you identify anomalies and report them right away.
Why vulnerability management is an imperative
In this day and age, vulnerability management needs to be a key part of how managers practise digital discipline. It’s no longer just a technical domain because the managers have a tangible influence on the behaviours that determine organizational risk.
The choices you make on a day-to-day basis have wider implications. Decisions on file-sharing between team members, access permissions for specific systems and resources, data handling, and the use of project management and collaboration tools – all of these are within your management purview, and they all have an impact on security posture. This is why you need to start thinking more about vulnerability management.
So, now that we’ve established the need to embrace vulnerability management, we need to address another key question – namely, what does all of this mean in practice?
Incorporating vulnerability management into digital discipline
Unsure of where to begin with vulnerability management? Software versions are as a good place to start as any. Make it a priority to check digital systems regularly and make sure that the latest updates and patches are installed. That will guarantee that the newest security measures are always in place to protect against evolving threats – something which is especially important with third-party systems.
Another key measure is to review access rights for digital systems and resources. This is especially important when your team compositions have recently changed. Set up clear rules for how your team shares files and collaborates, too, and make sure they understand common threats like malware and social engineering tactics. This will foster threat awareness so that everyone can identify sketchy activity and guard against unauthorized access.
Last but not least, a critical aspect of your digital discipline should be to monitor for shadow IT. At times, employees may utilize unapproved applications for workarounds when encountering difficulty with existing systems, but this can cause clashes between applications and introduce cyber risks. Stay vigilant against shadow IT and stamp it out.
Embrace digital-first management
Management isn’t just about people and processes these days – it’s also about technology, so evolving your approach is critical. A minor hitch could be enough to disrupt your operations, so don’t be blithe. Take the leap – be proactive and embrace digital discipline and vulnerability management. You needn’t become an IT expert overnight, but keeping a closer eye on your digital tools and managing carefully, just as you do your team, will help you ensure things keep running smoothly.
Vincent van Vliet
Vincent van Vliet is co-founder and responsible for the content and release management. Together with the team Vincent sets the strategy and manages the content planning, go-to-market, customer experience and corporate development aspects of the company.
