Stéphanie Ledoux, CEO of Alcyconie, interviewed in Global Security Mag during the FIC – Global Security Magazine

Interview with Stéphanie Ledoux X Global Security Mag

The 2020 edition of the FIC will be an opportunity for Alcyconie to present its range of services focused entirely on crisis and cyber crisis management and communication. Stéphanie Ledoux, CEO and Founder of Alcyconie, believes that many companies emerge stronger from a crisis because they have been able to manage it effectively and demonstrate their ability to deal with complex situations without faltering.

GS Mag: What will be your news at the 2020 International Cybersecurity Forum?

Stéphanie Ledoux: For Alcyconie, the FIC is an opportunity to present its range of services, which are entirely focused on crisis and cybercrisis management and communication.

As a pure player in crisis and cyber crisis management, and with our extensive experience in crisis communication and governance, we support our clients in addressing the new challenges of digital risk. Our resolutely organisational approach is structured around two clear areas of focus:
1/ preparation and training
2/ response, coping and management.

We support our clients from the very outset, convinced that training, education and preparation are the hallmarks of effective crisis management. We stand by their side in the event of a crisis, offering our perspective and expertise. But we also enable them to evaluate certain tactical approaches and support them in defining their crisis communication strategy.

GS Mag: In your opinion, how can humans be actors in cybersecurity when they are essentially viewed today as victims or perpetrators?

Stéphanie Ledoux: When faced with a cyber crisis, technical tools and measures prove effective, but insufficient. It is people, their responsiveness and their reflexes that will limit the impact and consequences of a digital incident. Reacting appropriately, quickly implementing countermeasures, knowing how to make decisions in uncertain situations, communicating at the right time and accurately, and leading an effective operational response… These are all factors that make employees the cornerstone of crisis management.

GS Mag: What advice would you give to organisations to help them engage decision-makers and raise awareness among their users?

Stéphanie Ledoux: We firmly believe that the most effective way to raise awareness of the risks and the fact that cyber crises may be less dramatic than we hear or read about every day is to confront them head-on. Simulating real-life situations at all levels of the organisation is the most effective way to raise awareness. Crisis management exercises, attack demonstrations, phishing campaigns… The list of possibilities is long and allows for creativity in how the subject is approached internally, with partners and subcontractors! Because it is the entire value chain that needs to be trained and made aware.

GS Mag: How must technologies evolve to provide security that is as close as possible to the user?

Stéphanie Ledoux: More than just evolving to be closer to users, technologies must be fully integrated into the daily lives and practices of employees. Security still too often means restricting tools or uses. We firmly believe that in 2020, it is not unrealistic to think that it should be possible to combine security with fluidity and user experience!

GS Mag: What steps can cybersecurity players take to attract new talent?

Stéphanie Ledoux: We need to promote the richness and diversity of the professions and activities covered by cybersecurity. It is still too often perceived as a set of technical measures, software solutions… in short, as a field for IT profiles. This masks a much broader reality of numerous and exciting professions: communicators, lawyers, business continuity managers, analysts… We need to break down clichés and illustrate the range of possibilities and accessibility of the field to a variety of profiles.

GS Mag: In your opinion, what can we expect in terms of attacks and defence for 2020?

Stéphanie Ledoux: In a context of extreme public sensitivity and media frenzy, fake news poses a definite risk to organisations. Fake news no longer concerns only politics, geopolitics or civil society, but extends to the corporate world. Organisations must take into account this new and intangible risk, which security solutions cannot combat.

GS Mag: What message would you like to convey to CISOs?

Stéphanie Ledoux: Facing a cyber crisis is not an end in itself. What can prove fatal is not knowing how to deal with it: your employees, customers and stakeholders will find it difficult to forgive you. It is sometimes difficult to imagine, but many companies emerge stronger from a crisis because they have managed it effectively, demonstrating their ability to deal with complex situations without faltering!

Interview conducted by Global Security Mag.