Hi folks,
Like tens of millions of people, I’m a fan of Game of Thrones. (very minor spoiler alerts) For those who haven’t watched it, the gist is that there’s a big power struggle for control of this fantasy kingdom and while all these subplots play out regarding the intrigue and plotting of various power players, only a handful of people are aware of the looming threat from the north – an undead army which promises to wipe out mankind given the chance.
At the risk of reading too much into simple entertainment, I think there’s a huge lesson in the story.
One of the great things about cybersecurity is that the enemy is very well defined – people who are trying to do bad things to your assets and data. It’s hard to ask for a clearer mission. And while most of us are responsible for smaller components of the mission – say vulnerability scanning, or intel management, or training – all of our efforts point in the same general mission direction: stop the bad guys.
That’s what makes infighting so deeply disappointing.
Yes, disagreements on tactics will occur. Yes, some friction is good and helps us to refine and strengthen our plans. But territoriality, subversion, a lack of cooperation… that’s a waste of our precious collective resources for something that contributes nothing to the mission. These problems aren’t exclusive to .gov, of course. Internal conflict is everywhere. But much of the Federal sector embraces the concept of “rice bowls” as if it’s a defensible approach to business. As if responsibilities, once assigned, can never be changed because the individual’s interest trumps that of the organization. It’s a reflection of the outdated, inefficient, silo-based business model. It’ll die out eventually, but not soon enough.
Rex