Visible Ops Security: Achieving Common Security and IT Operations Objectives in 4 Practical Steps

Visible Ops Security builds upon the methodology presented in the original Visible Ops Handbook. It guides information security professionals in strengthening relationships with IT operations and development groups to advance IT objectives and business goals. It addresses the people side of IT, empowering security to work with operations teams to achieve closely aligned objectives and with development and release teams to integrate security requirements into preproduction work. The Visible Ops Security methodology helps IT organizations move beyond a focus on technology to address the core operational aspects of security. It complements publications that focus on securing the network, access, and data, including COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology), ISO 27001:2005 (International Standards Organization), and ITIL® (IT Infrastructure Library) manuals. It promotes effective teamwork, which helps security professionals ensure that security is built into key development and production processes. This effort positions the IT organization to meet business needs by delivering highly available, cost-effective, and secure services.

This is an excellent guide to building a successful IT infrastructure from a security perspective. The authors have masterfully articulated the methodologies used successfully by many of us in security and risk management and I can personally validate their findings. The four phases outlined here provide the framework to stabilize, secure, manage, and improve the security of your IT infrastructure. --Peter Perfetti, Director, IT Security and Risk Management

The book examines what IT security organizations do well and their common struggles. A must read for those in security and audit who seek improvement, but also important and informative for those who work closely with security in business processes, accounting, auditing, development, and operations. The authors understand the problems that keep many IT security organizations from reaching effectiveness or potential, and disarm perceptions that hold these organizations back by offering clear steps to move out of the trenches to the top of their games. --James Bohem, CISSP, Enterprise Security Solutions Architect, MIS Systems Integrators

As an auditor and an IT practitioner, I have repeatedly seen solution-oriented behaviors transform technologists into business partners. Visible Ops Security provides a realistic approach to converting information security from a technical function into a business function. --A.J. Schwab, Senior IT Audit Manager