"One of the most significant changes of last 30 years--even just the last 15--is how technology has influenced assessment of risk and the complexity of risk-management operations," he says. "Understanding and treatment of risk has had to become broader based across organizations. Savvy risk managers now help their organizations view risk holistically. That takes a whole different set of skills from earlier times, when it was possible to put risk in a frame, to view it rather simply. When I first started in private industry, risk management used to just handle insurance for an organization," he says. "That was the totality of risk treatment."

While having more knowledge of risk has clearly been a plus for businesses, Parry does wonder about what that information has allowed business to do. "I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but there's been an overall shift in risk appetite. I believe that many companies are now more willing to take risks because they have a better understanding of what it involves."

Parry remains committed to learning new skills as business needs change. But that said, he sometimes has a nostalgic view about security and risk.

"When I look back, it seems that things were simpler. Risk and security were easier to manage, but maybe not as well understood. That's what technology has done for us; given us more understanding. Look at law enforcement: It has pretty much the same mission as it did 30 years ago, but today it's much more professional and technologically oriented. Better tools helping cops do a better job. I know if I went back and did the type of policing today that I did then, it wouldn't work."