1st Edition

The Shortest Hour An Applied Approach to Boardroom Governance of Cybersecurity

By Lee Parrish Copyright 2025
    208 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    208 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Independent Directors of corporate boards understand the importance of cybersecurity as a business issue. Increased regulatory requirements, the onslaught of breaches, as well as the replacement of the corporate network perimeter with more third-party partnerships, have all contributed to cybersecurity rising to the top of enterprise risks. Yet, many Directors only receive a few brief cybersecurity updates during the year. Moreover, many Directors have devoted their careers to other important business disciplines and may not fully grasp the technical concepts of cybersecurity.

     

    The challenge is that many publications on board cybersecurity governance address the topic at such a high level that it removes the important context of the cybersecurity details - or covers the topic too deeply with hard-to-understand technical language. These resources may often provide lists of security questions for Directors to ask of their management team, but they do not provide the answers to the questions so that actionable oversight can be performed. What I wanted, and why you are probably reading this book summary, is a resource that delivers the questions to ask, but also the answers - and in a narrative, easy-to-understand style.

     

    An award-winning Chief Information Security Officer with over two decades of working with multiple Fortune 500 boards, Lee Parrish provides an example-laden vision to improve cybersecurity governance in the boardroom. Additionally, Lee deciphers the technical jargon to increase the reader’s cyber fluency – not to make you a cyber expert, but to be able to ask direct questions, understand the answers provided, challenge strategies, and advise on important cyber decisions.

     

    Pick up your copy of The Shortest Hour: An Applied Approach to Boardroom Cybersecurity Governance today and start your journey on achieving more effective cybersecurity oversight.

     

    Want to learn more? Please visit www.novelsecurity.com

    Preface. Introduction. Chapter 1 The Threat Landscape. Chapter 2 The Chief Information Security Officer Role. Chapter 3 Security vs Compliance. Chapter 4 Examining the Information Security Board Governance Structure. Chapter 5 Information Security Assessment. Chapter 6 The Strategic Plan. Chapter 7 The Importance of Execution. Chapter 8 Financing Cyber Security. Chapter 9 The Role of Security Vendors & Consultants. Chapter 10 Security Service Management. Chapter 11 A Vision for Cyber Security Board Governance.  Section Two: Cyber Security Overview. Chapter 12 Security Operations. Chapter 13 Incident Response. Chapter 14 Security Awareness. Chapter 15 Policy Management. Chapter 16 Risk Management. Chapter 17 The Path Ahead. Appendix: Cyber Security Inquiry Checklist.

    Biography

    Lee Parrish is an award-winning technology executive with over two decades of unique experience in blending cybersecurity expertise with essential business competencies. As a Chief Information Security Officer, he has built customized cybersecurity strategies for global Fortune 500 corporations and has led real-world incident responses to cyber events. Lee has served as a trusted advisor on cybersecurity to multiple boards consisting of Chief Executive Officers, a former White House Chief of Staff, retired high-ranking military officers and a former U.S. Presidential candidate.

    Lee possesses two graduate degrees and is certified as both a Boardroom Qualified Technology Expert as well as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. He has published numerous articles in industry journals, contributed to a best-selling information security book, and authored a children’s book on cybersecurity. He is a frequent speaker at international security conferences and a guest on various podcasts.

    Lee is a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps.