We all need a bit of whimsy in our lives.

This is not just an excuse for a whimsical blog post, though there is that. Whimsy and laughter build bridges. And in the security world, where empathy is a critical resource, whimsy can be a first and recurring step in connecting with the teams outside of our security silo. Whimsy humanizes us.

Luckily, April is National Poetry Month.

In that spirit, I asked my Forrester security and risk (S&R) colleagues to join me in contributing some security-themed poems. I received haikus, rhymes, and even a limerick. Some are commentary; others embed security strategies and best practices in their verses. Many of my colleagues contributed poems that aligned to their coverage areas. See if you can guess who wrote what (answers at the end of this blog).

~~ 1 ~~
Log data flowing
Like a river to the sea
The SIEM overflows
~~ 2 ~~
Security pros
Must engage across the org
Look for empathy
~~ 3 ~~
Sensitive data
How to tag, classify it
Keep labels simple
~~ 4 ~~
A Zero Trust model is what we need for security
Vendors cash in like it’s a product to make them money,
Never Trust, Always Verify,
Applies to Zero Trust pillars and solutions that we need to identify
~~ 5 ~~
SAST, DAST, SCA
IAST and WAF. So many
appsec acronyms!
~~ 6 ~~
XDR is new
Or just SIEM marketing buzz
We may never know
~~ 7 ~~
vulnerability!
how do i prioritize?
threat intelligence!

 

~~8~~
SecOps struggle on
Seek automation to help
Alerts SOAR higher
~~9~~
Protecting data?
The “basics” are not easy.
I know you know. Hugs.
~~10~~
2020 brought us a global pandemic
But disruption was largely systemic
Failing to plan is a risk
And the impact is brisk
‘Cause your risk management was mostly academic
~~11~~
Risks swirl, threats abound
Cybersecurity needs
Achieve Zero Trust
~~12~~
Where is our data?
More places than we realize
Data sprawl is real
Answers: Joseph Blankenship (1, 8, 11); Heidi Shey (3, 9, 12); Sandy Carielli (2, 5); Brian Kime (7); Alla Valente (10); Steve Turner (4); Allie Mellen (6)