Security Administration Function › Alternative Recommendations › Any Port in a Storm

Any Port in a Storm

The security function has been known to report to corporate areas as unlikely as the Tax Department or the Personnel Department. In the final analysis, the selection of the best location for the security function differs greatly among organizations and depends on the organizational and political environment available to house the function.

Note: The corporate policy or direction statement may be the best place to detail where the security administration function resides.

After the functional area for security administration is selected, the next step is to choose the individual(s) who handle the function. The job of a Security Administrator is a tough one. The nature of the position forces the administrator to poke into every nook and cranny in the data processing environment. It is also a very responsible position that requires a strong personality. Some of the characteristics which you may consider in a potential Security Administrator are:

• Knowledge of data processing resources and appropriate security requirements
• Highly responsible
• Personality which commands respect and trust
• Good analytical and organizational skills
• Good political awareness of the environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Nerves of steel, heart of stone, desensitized to insult or injury.

The classic quote is, “Nobody likes the Security Administrator.” To a large extent this is true because the administrator has a job to do which is not a popular one, at least not initially.