What does the day-to-day life of someone working in data security look like? For Michael Dobbs, it’s a lot of tabletop exercises — which he explained as “the cybersecurity equivalent of strategic war games.”
Strategy is central to his job as a security operations center director, informing the practices his team employs, including tabletop exercises. But in this case, he and his teammates aren’t working to send troops to fight against a fictional enemy — they’re banding together to protect data connected to millions of people worldwide.
Dobbs works in the global technology arm of McDonald’s, where he helps safeguard information for the company’s massive customer base. He explained that, by maintaining the best environment for tabletop exercises, his team stays ahead of the game when it comes to combating cyber threats.
“By creating a controlled environment to simulate cyber threats, we shed light on our ability to respond to real-world cybersecurity challenges, empower team members to make critical decisions and pinpoint areas for bolstering our cybersecurity readiness,” Dobbs said.
Below, Dobbs shares more about what it’s like to work in McDonald’s global technology risk management organization.
What does a typical day look like for you?
McDonald’s global technology risk management organization participates in tabletop exercises, or simulations, to test cyber-threat response plans, identify and address any gaps in the plan and build muscle memory. The GTRM incident response team is responsible for running these tabletop exercises. The actions, however, are very real, as the team members are putting their emergency plan for the real situation into practice.
Tell us more about the importance of employing tabletop exercises. How does this help your team stay prepared to handle cyber threats?
Tabletop exercises are the cybersecurity equivalent of strategic war games. Teams and markets from across McDonald’s come together, diving into scenarios that mimic real-world cyber threats. More than just a technical drill, the role-playing exercises assess the efficiency of response protocols, the clarity of interteam communications and the strengths and pitfalls in decision-making, allowing organizations to update or reaffirm their protocols.
Tabletop exercises serve as a barometer for gauging our cybersecurity strengths and resilience. They accomplish three tasks: evaluate the robustness of our incident response plan, focusing on decision-making prowess during high-pressure situations; spotlight potential bottlenecks, areas of confusion or inefficiencies in our established processes; and assess our long-term recovery strategies, helping to put plans in place for unexpected variables, such as technical setbacks or the absence of key personnel.
“Tabletop exercises serve as a barometer for gauging our cybersecurity strengths and resilience.”
What helps your team and other departments across the organization stay ahead of the game?
Interdepartmental synergy. By rehearsing various scenarios, the exercises help prepare teams from across our organization to safeguard our brand image. Tabletop exercises involve representatives spanning various departments, which helps instill a deeper understanding and foster a heightened level of cooperation throughout our organization. Interdepartmental unity and constructive collaboration prove indispensable when responding to genuine cyber incidents, helping us prepare to have a more cohesive and swift response.
