BlackBerry CIO on Mobile Security, BYOD and the Modern CIO Role

11.10.2012

I think so. A lot of it is that CIOs are not aware of what they've lost. I've sat in rooms with a lot of CIOs, and there are few that will actually admit they've had a breach and they're struggling with how to handle it. Not a lot of people will communicate that they've had a security breach. So there's not really open sharing in that space. I wish there would be, some kind of forum where you can come in and say, "Hey, we're seeing this kind of an event, and we need to do something about it."

Some CIOs or technology leaders will say, "We've never had a breach." Then you really know that they don't have the tools in place that would even see if somebody intruded into their space. Awareness and being able to do something about it [are key]. Awareness is the big one. Awareness is hard.

There is a lot of negative media attention around RIM right now. Does it get to you?

It bothers my husband. (Laughs) He comes home, and he'll say, "I got another phone call from somebody overseas." His family is from Holland. They wanted to know, is Robin okay? I say, I'm fine. I'm happy. I love what I'm doing. Even when I was at AT&T, we were going through some tough times before we got sold by Bell South. Sometimes I think you find your most talented people when times are tough, because it's those people that are dedicated to the business and the business of serving our customers who really shine. That to me is energizing. It's very hard for some people. Some people run from it. Actually, this is a time that brings out my true colors, too.

" I'm happy. I love what I'm doing...Sometimes I think you find your most talented people when times are tough, because it's those people that are dedicated to the business and the business of serving our customers who really shine& this is a time that brings out my true colors. "