Mark Curphey - SecurityBuddha.com

I think that social networking has a huge place to pay in tomorrows information security management. I have been using LinkedIn for a while. I flip between accepting invites from anyone to being very selective depending on my “time of the year”. 

I use the “I don’t know this person” feature a lot to prevent me from becoming a “name collector”. Whenever I see anyone with the “more than 500 connections” logo I suspect they are a name collector and trust introductions from them less that those that “manage” their social connections. You can not manage 500 people even if you are a great sales guy. That needs a CRM and not linked in.

I laugh long and hard at some peoples titles such as “Visionary Software Entrepreneur” and other self-proclaimed grandeur. Anyone who watched the “international businessman” Tre sacked from the UK Apprentice probably laughs with me.

Despite some obvious annoyances and downsides I have come to rely on social networking like LinkedIn. I often get asked to refer consulting work (particularly technical testing) and through LinkedIn reckon I have passed on $150K USD of consulting so far this year alone. By only recommending people I trust (and those that people I  trust trust) it works well.

Of course LinkedIn is just the tip of the iceberg and just one example. I have been doing some work recently thinking about how to apply it to information security management and the possibilities are endless. I think social networking will be a key part of the information security management platforms of tomorrow.

I refuse to call it security 2.0 now as the spin doctors jumped a digit and went straight for 3.0. I guess they forgot to add substance but the term Security Next.0 seems more appropriate. Its the next big thing after the next big thing!