About Scott Wright

In case you're wondering who in the world Scott Wright is, I'm an Ottawa-based security coach, podcaster and consultant, and creator of the Streetwise Security Zone website, including the Security Views blog and The Honey Stick Project. Security Views is the project that led me to create The Streetwise Security Zone, and the concept of "Governance by Graffiti" for small business managers. Through this initiative, I became connected with the many dedicated security professionals who give much more value to the business world than they realize - and for which they are insufficiently rewarded. I created this site to provide a lens into the good work that they do. Oh yes, I am now a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), a security certification issued by ISACA.

The Honey Stick Project started as a research project. I wanted to collect some data  and educate the public about the risks of using USB enabled mobile storage devices. The project essentially looked at "A day in the life of a lost USB Drive".  However, it has evolved into a forum for highlighting the incredibly risky decisions that people make regarding their sensitive information and systems. Today, it is possible that a single "wrong click" by an employee could bring down a major operational business system within an organization. Honey Stick tests are a safe way to determine whether your staff does better than the 50% of people who were observed to make risky decisions in my public Honey Stick tests.

If you are looking for innovative ways to measure or teach security awareness, or for risk management solutions that bridge the gap between technology and people, please contact me at the email or phone listed below.

My past preoccupations include a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa. My interests have always spanned business and technology in a way that gives me what I think is a great perspective of both the top line and bottom line performance of a business. My aim is to educate and facilitate people at all levels of business to set themselves up for growth and performance. My consulting business is Security Perspectives Inc.

About The Streetwise Security Zone

The aim of The Streetwise Security Zone is to be a change mechanism to empower you and your team "fill the human security gap" between policies and technology, and to preserve the foundation for your organization's growth. 

Governance by Graffiti (tm)

Instead of trying to indoctrinate you into the cult of security professionals, we want you to simply use the tools and contacts in "The Zone" to educate yourself at your own speed. You can learn about identifying your business assets, as well as the current threats on the streets, so you can know the risks your business faces.  We know that most people are just trying to get a job done. Formal methods can work well, and are sometimes necessary, but you must be committed to them.

But if you can't commit to a full program, don't give up on trying to secure your information assets. As long as you understand the risks you face, and what you need to protect, you still have a good chance to do the right things for your business.

Governance by Graffiti is the idea of doing what you need to do to survive - using the informal guidance you can get from others who have been in a similar situation. That doesn't mean taking big risks and hoping it will all work out. It means taking some time to understand your environment and what you are likely to face. Most of all, it means making sure that everyone on your team knows which information and systems are critical to the operation of the business, and what threats can impact them. There are many ways to protect business information. You just need to find a way that works for you. The Streetwise Security Zone is a place where you can find it.

Our community is much more than just a forum for questions and answers. It is a place where content is regularly added to help managers learn the basics of information security in short, consumable lessons. The greatest value comes in enabling you to keep your team "plugged in" to information security in a way that is convenient and relevant to your business, and to make the most of your resources to protect the value you've created within their business.

The Streetwise Security Zone was started by Scott Wright, a security professional with over 20 years of experience in business and technology. We are based in Ottawa, Canada, but have a global reach.

Contacting Me

If you are a Streetwise Security Zone member, and you'd like to contact me about any topic, I'd love to hear from you.

Here are my coordinates:

Phone: 613-693-0997

Email: scott@streetwise-security-zone.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/streetsec

Websites:

http://www.streetwise-security-zone.com - a website community for collaborating on security and privacy issues and questions.

http://www.streetwise-security-zone.com/honeystickblog.html - my blog on the risks of mishandling portable devices such as USB flash drives, MP3 players, digital cameras. How much data can be impacted if you don't handle a USB drive properly?

http://www.honeystickproject.com - the background on the Honey Stick Project research.

Podcasts:

http://www.streetwise-security-zone.com/podcast.html - usually recorded live, weekly in the Streetwise Townhall where you can listen, watch and provide chat room comments. I cover recent security news topics and often discuss case studies related to security management or security awareness issues.

http://www.socialmediasecurity.com/category/podcast - The Social Media Security Podcast is a program I co-host with Tom Eston, a globally recognized expert in security and social media. Tom and I discuss recent news and issues in social media related to security and privacy, usually published once or twice per month.

Comments on any of these publications are welcome.