Physical security can provide a number of guidelines when establishing an information security model, says Johann van der Merwe, global head of information security at De Beers \u201cYou can get a lot of tips from physical security when you want to get a company\u2019s information security off the ground,\u201d says Van der Merwe. He says it is important to remember that diamonds are at the centre of De Beers\u2019 pipeline and that everything \u2013 including information security \u2013 essentially revolves around that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Van der Merwe has headed the information security of the largest diamond company in the world, by value, since its information security team was established.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstand who you are dealing with,\u201d said Van der Merwe, \u201cbecause it is often much more complex than you realise.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf someone asks, \u2018how much information am I losing really?\u2019, this is a very hard question to answer,\u201d explained Van der Merwe.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you have a really strong threat model, the people in your organisation may become a victim of it,\u201d explained Van der Merwe. Know that people within your organisation could be targeted to become a pawn in the enemy\u2019s game, he added.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou have to be able to integrate all your teams when dealing with a strong targeted threat model,\u201d said Van der Merwe.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe only way to make sure all your systems are on standard is to have proper management systems in place that understand the objectives and are driven to reach them,\u201d said Van der Merwe.<\/p>\n