Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Build securely on AWS: Insights from the C-suite (SEC332)

Summary

Archana Vemulapalli, responsible for the Solutions Architecture team in North America at AWS, moderated a panel with Casey Santos, CIO at Asurion, and KK, CTO at Delta Airlines.
The session focused on building securely on the cloud with AWS, sharing perspectives from seasoned executives on challenges and pragmatic views.
Casey Santos shared her career journey from NASA to Asurion, emphasizing the importance of tying technology to business outcomes.
KK stepped in for Delta's CISO, Debbie Wheeler, and discussed Delta's cloud journey, emphasizing the importance of security in their operations.
Both panelists discussed the importance of embedding security into the culture and ensuring it's part of every organization within the company.
They highlighted the need for automation, the challenges of talent acquisition, and the importance of internal workforce development.
The discussion also covered the complexity of cloud security, the role of procurement in de-risking, and the evolving security landscape with increased attacks and the need for more sophisticated tools.

Cultural Shift in Security: Both panelists emphasized the need for a cultural shift where security is embedded across the organization, not just within a dedicated security team.
Automation as a Strategy: Automation is key to handling security at scale, reducing vulnerabilities, and allowing talented engineers to focus on high-level problems.
Talent Development: There's a focus on developing internal talent for security roles, highlighting the importance of creating career paths and providing training and conferences.
Security and Business Outcomes: There's a need to better tie security efforts to business outcomes, making it easier for C-level executives to understand the value and risks associated with security investments.
Complexity of Cloud Security: As cloud services mature, the complexity of securing them increases, necessitating a deeper understanding of how services are interconnected and the potential risks.
Procurement's Role in Security: Procurement plays a critical role in managing third-party and fourth-party risks, with due diligence becoming more comprehensive.
Security Landscape Trends: The security landscape is becoming more complex with more sophisticated attacks, requiring a higher level of attention and more advanced tools to ensure security in the cloud.