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Risk Management: Art or Science?

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Is risk-based security management an art or science? That’s one key question posed to more than 1,200 IT professionals in a recent survey by Tripwire Inc. and  Ponemon Research. The report, “The State of Risk Based Security 2013,” asked: “In your opinion, is information security risk management an ‘art’ or ‘science’?” For the purposes of the survey, “art” was defined as analysis and decision-making based on intuition, expertise and a holistic view of the organization. “Science” refers to risk analysis and decision-making based on objective, quantitative measures. They found:

  • In the U.S., 49% of respondents said “art” and 51% said “science”
  • In the UK, 58% of respondents said “science” and 42% said “art”
  • 66% of enterprise risk managers and 62% of business operations respondents say  risk based security management is “art”
  • 62% of IT security and 56% of IT operations said “science”

“Business operations and risk managers tend to view risk management as more of an art because they don’t feel a precise answer is needed to be able to make a decision,” said Dwayne Melancon, chief technology officer for Tripwire. “People in these roles are looking for directional information to guide their decisions. On the other hand, IT operations and IT security departments tend to view security risk management as a math problem that has a very precise answer. People with these viewpoints are talking about the same thing, but they are using very different language, which can make it difficult to come to a mutually agreed point of view.”

The findings illustrate the diversity of opinion on the use of risk-based security management in the organization. These differences of opinion, those often times valued, can can potentially complicate communication and collaboration that is necessary within a business setting.

The following is an analysis of responses by job title:

 

Reinsurance Tax Reintroduced in House and Senate

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President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget proposal, released April 10, included a provision that would eliminate the current tax deduction for reinsurance premiums. Now there is legislation that would seek to do the same thing. H.R.2054, sponsored by Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA) and Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), and S.911, sponsored by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), were introduced May 20, 2013. This marks the fourth time that Rep. Neal has introduced similar legislation.

Rep. Neal believes that foreign-based insurance companies are using affiliate insurance to avoid U.S. tax on their investment income, which leads to an unfair competitive advantage over U.S-based companies. The Coalition for a Domestic Insurance Industry, which represents 13 U.S.-based insurance groups, agrees with Rep. Neal that the current system offers a competitive advantage to foreign-based companies. In a May 21, 2013 press release William R. Berkley, chairman and CEO of W.R. Berkley Corporation, stated that “closing this loophole, staunching the flow of capital overseas and restoring competitiveness for this important domestic industry is a win for all.”

Opponents of this provision were quick to express their opposition. The Coalition for Competitive Insurance Rates (CCIR), which includes the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS), stated that this legislation would “decrease capacity and hike the cost of insurance while also limiting competition in the U.S. insurance marketplace.” In that same press release James Donelon, Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance, added that “this legislation would shift the financial burden of rebuilding following a disaster onto already-strained domestic insurers and their policyholders.” RIMS followed suit with its own release in opposition to the bill. Carolyn Snow, RIMS board liaison to the Society’s external affairs committee, remarked that “this short-sighted legislation fails to realize that if organizations are forced to abandon their offshore counterparts, the financial burden of catastrophic risks would fall on the government and policyholders—an alternative that could shatter this country’s economic vitality.”

Opponents of the tax are supported by a 2009 Brattle Group study of the impact this legislation would have on the reinsurance market. The Brattle Group found that enacting this legislation would reduce the supply of reinsurance in the United States by 20%, thus raising the price of primary insurance by 1.8-2.1% overall. As a result, U.S. consumers would be required to pay $10-$12 billion more per year.

Rep. Neal is no stranger to this issue. He introduced similar proposals in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Those bills failed to make it out of committee, but that doesn’t mean opponents can sleep on the issue. Many expect that tax reform could be on Congress’ agenda for 2013-2014 and the fear is that this provision is picked up as a part of that package. CCIR, its members and other opponents will continue working to educate members of Congress on the negative effects that this bill would have on the insurance industry.

Check out this video from the CCIR for an explanation of the risks associated with a reinsurance tax.

 

2013 Hurricane Season: Active Storms Ahead

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Saturday, June 1, marks the beginning of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters from Colorado State University predict 18 named storms for the 2013 season, with nine of those forecasted to become hurricanes and four expected to be major hurricanes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center warns there could be even more storms to hit the Sunshine State — up to 20, in fact, compared to the average of 12. If these and other predictions are right, Florida will see its share of storms this season.

But Floridians are not oblivious to these stats. As the the June issue of Risk Management states:

Regardless of the predictions, many Floridians were already expecting to be hit. The state that is geographically most vulnerable to Atlantic storms and has the longest coastline among the lower 48 (1,350 miles) has been spared each of the past seven years. Hurricane Wilma, one of seven major hurricanes that made landfall in the United States during the historic 2005 season (the year of Katrina), was the last storm to punish Florida.

With 2013’s predictions being far worse than those of 2012, businesses should begin preparing now. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 15 to 40% of businesses fail following a natural disaster.

Of those businesses that recover, on average, it takes about 11.5 days for them to become fully operational. This is a recipe for serious revenue and customer loss.

Bob Boyd, president and CEO of Agility Recovery, a provider of business continuity and disaster recovery solutions, provides the following advice for businesses in the path of hurricanes (or any natural disaster, for that matter).

Before the Storm

  • Ensure you have tested and activated your crisis communications plan prior to the storm’s approach. Even if the storm isn’t on a direct path to your location, activating this part of your plan will ensure reliable communications with your stakeholders.
  • Backup all data on servers and personal computers, and ensure you are able to remotely access and restore the data to an alternate site without delay.
  • Move vital records, equipment, supplies and inventory to a safe or fortified location.

    Postpone any future deliveries or shipments until the storm passes and transportation routes are passable.

  • Fill fuel tanks of generators and all company‐owned vehicles, and ensure employees are familiar with your emergency transportation plan for critical staff. Plan ahead for interruptions including curfews, law enforcement roadblocks, mass transit shut-downs, and impassable roads and bridges.
  • Enable remote access to your company’s website and social media channels to ensure constant communication with stakeholders. Contact the media ahead of time to make sure they know how to reach your leadership and spokespersons.

During the Storm

  • Ensure employees are away from wind and flood hazards and know the company policy regarding inclement weather. Take into account the fact that coastal flooding and storm surge are the most destructive and deadly forces during a hurricane.
  • Establish teams working on a 24-hour schedule to monitor any equipment that must consistently remain on line.
  • Preemptively shut off any unnecessary electrical switches to prevent surges or electrical shorts and accidents before the necessary checks are completed post-landfall.

After the Storm

  • Watch and listen to local news and online media channels for damage reports, transportation outages, lingering flooded areas and other potential dangers prior to assessing your facilities.
  • Establish and follow company policies for limiting access to your facilities until the area has been declared officially safe by local law enforcement, inspectors or company officials.
  • Begin contacting employees, suppliers, critical partners and other stakeholders to ensure their safety and ability to return to work.
  • Begin salvage as soon as possible to prevent further damage to facilities, inventory and assets. Begin work to restore any critical business functions that have been interrupted by the storm.

As we saw with the last two major hurricanes (Katrina and Sandy), preparation is paramount. In the New York area, Governor Cuomo marked this past week as Hurricane Preparedness Week — asking the state’s residents to review their preparations for the upcoming season. With 2013 predictions well above the seasonal average, this is advice every Atlantic coastal state should take seriously.

Despite High-Profile Collapses, More Than 10% of the Nation’s Bridges Remain Structurally Deficient

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Last week, an oversized truck traveling on a bridge over the Skagit River north of Seattle in Washington state reportedly hit an overhead girder, causing the bridge to collapse into the rushing waters below. Fortunately, neither the truck driver nor anyone else died in the accident.

But now the locals need to come up with a solution, both temporary and long term, to fix the throughway so that the area can resume commerce and travel as normal. They have a plan for short-term fix, according to Washington Governor  Jay Inslee in a press conference. “We’re going to get this project done as fast as humanly possible,” said Inslee. “There’s no more important issue right now, to the economy, to the state of Washington frankly, than getting this bridge up and running.”

This may not have just been some freak accident, however.

As Pew Stateline points out, the bridge was rates as “functionally obsolete.” And WNYC has repoted that “NTSB Chairman Debbie Hersman said the bridge had a history of being hit by oversized loads. Before last week’s collision, the most recent incident happened last October.”

Investigations will continue and Washington will certainly devise a lasting solution to crossing the river.

The bigger issue here is that this is far from the only “obsolete” or “deficient” bridge that commuters and truckers are using every day in the United States.

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In fact, the number of subpar bridges is staggering, according to a Transportation for America report.

Transportation for America explains its view of the problem.

Despite billions of dollars in federal, state and local funds directed toward the maintenance of existing bridges, 68,842 bridges — 11.5 percent of total highway bridges in the U.S. — are classified as “structurally deficient,” requiring significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.

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Two key problems persist: while Congress has repeatedly declared bridge safety a national priority, existing federal programs don’t ensure that aging bridges actually get fixed; and the current level of investment is nowhere near what is needed to keep up with our rapidly growing backlog of aging bridges.

Of course, it’s not like bridges are collapse across America everyday.

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But the recent five-year anniversary of the last deadly, high-profile, catastrophic servers as a reminder of just how disastrous it can become when deficient bridges remain in use. Thirteen were killed and nearly 150 were injured when the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapse in 2008.

It seems like it’s only a matter of time until something similar happens again.

How do you manage that risk?

If you’re the governments across the United States, apparently the main method is crossing fingers.

Source: Transportation for America