Now a Petya ransomware attack

[Suff]

Is tearing its way around the world.

I wonder how many times this has to happen before companies and governments get the message and secure their systems?

[cromwell]

Eventually they will learn, but they would learn a lot quicker if the people who are in charge of IT departments had a background in IT. Many times, they don't. I used to work for a northern police force and out of five top managers / heads of section, only two were IT pros. One was a former accountant, one from HR and one an ex-police officer. This approach spread and you ended up with ex-police officers as project managers and in other posts with yard long job titles. The idea that the IT dept exists because of the technical expertise it can bring to the job had got a bit diluted, we'll say.
The amount of money spent on generalist managers could and should have been spent on IT professionals, some in the area of IT security, which was never in my experience taken seriously or staffed and funded appropriately.

[AliasAggers]

Eventually they will learn, but they would learn a lot quicker if the people
who are in charge of IT departments had a background in IT. .

I think you've hit the nail on the head, Cromwell. It is most important that people in charge
today are knowledgeable in modern technology, which rules out quite a lot of older persons.

[Suff]

Cromwell, most CIO's I've seen are accountants. Having watched them operate, quite closely, the vast majority of the work and reporting they do to the board is financial.

Yes they have to deliver a technology roadmap and vision, but it is usually cherry picked from RFI presentations from global consultancies (if not directly written by a consultancy) and then presented in terms of money.

Security? Way down the list... Until recently.