Not really a security topic but imagine I’m using a building a security program analogy.

I’m not a New Years resolution guy. I think January 1 is an arbitrary date and if that I’m going to make changes that stick I need to start now rather than later. I’ve started new habits in the middle of the year and on December 20th. I’ve found that I tend to be more successful when I just start. Three years ago I got a Whoop in November 2020 and it’s been tremendous for habit changes I want to make. It tracks my sleep and strain for the day using a heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels. I fill out a journal every morning on the habits and activities that affect my recovery. I’ve discovered valuable insights that have allowed me to make adjustments for the betterment of my health.

This is one of the things to remember when making changes to your life. It’s not one month and done. It’s a journey. The Whoop has helped with my journey because it provides me the data I need to make more targeted adjustments. It wasn’t something that happened over night or even in a month and I’ve been working on some of my vices for over three years. It took my seven years to quit smoking in my 20s. I did that with small steps.

It’s the same thing for any habit change. It requires small progressive steps. Some people can quit cold turkey or make drastic changes. Good for them! I’m not one of those people, unfortunately. For me it’s small changes that help me make life changing habits. There’s been set backs. A lot of setbacks!

If you’ve set a New Years Resolution that’s great! Making changes is hard. I would advice patience and the acceptance that there will be set backs. If there is a setback work to get back on track. If you keep plugging away it you’ll get better and be healthier for it. Health is very important not only for yourself but also for your career.

This blog post first appeared on Exploring Information Security.

PVCSec Podcast logo

On New Years Eve the PVC Security podcast had a very impromptu recording session. We decided, on Twitter, five hours before the New Year to record our weekly podcast and discuss what we learned about security in 2014. I was hosting a party at the exact same time of the recording so I didn’t pipe in with what I learned in security last year, so instead I’ll write about it here.

The biggest thing I learned about security in 2014 is that it’s very important to have a solid background in IT. Understanding how a network is put together and how computers and servers work goes a long way in helping to secure them.

It is also extremely helpful in getting security implemented in an organization. Implementing security should not be about telling people their systems or applications are broken and that THEY need to go fix them. It should be about working together to finding the best most secure way of doing things. Understanding the limitations of a network, computer or server is going to help in finding the best solution to an insecure problem.

I’ve been working in information technology since 2002. I’ve done everything from moving phone lines to pulling cable to soldering to workstation troubleshooting to inventorying to server management to network management to now security. I’ve got a very broad IT background and I’m starting to realize that it is helping me become a good security professional. That’s not to say that one can’t jump into security or take another route to security, but I think I’ve benefited from having experience in the areas that I now find myself trying to secure and keep secure.

Happy New Year! I am looking forward to all the new things I will learn in 2015.

This post first appeared on Exploring Information Security.