Governance & Risk Management

The Board as 'Fourth Line of Defense' in Security

State Bank of India Board Member Bhaskar Pramanik Spells Out Boards' Responsibilities
Bhaskar Pramanik, board member, State Bank of India

Banks' boards of directors need to understand the implications of cybersecurity in terms of the overall risk structure, says Bhaskar Pramanik, a board member at State Bank of India and former chairman of Microsoft India.

See Also: The Hidden Threat: Understanding Insider Risks

"I consider the board to be the fourth line of defense," he says. The other lines of defense, including the CIO, the CISO and the internal audit team, need to work together to understand security dynamics, he says.

In a video interview at Information Security Media Group's recent Security Summit in Mumbai, Pramanik discusses:

  • The board's accountability to all the stakeholders in tackling cybersecurity risk;
  • The board's involvement in assigning roles and responsibilities for a security strategy;
  • The need to eliminate obstacles for smooth functioning of security.

Pramanik retired as chairman at Microsoft India in September 2017 after a 45-year career in the technology industry. He now is an independent board member of the State Bank of India, Sankhya Infotech Ltd, and TCNS clothing Co., Ltd. He is also on the advisory board of a number of other companies and organizations.


About the Author

Geetha Nandikotkur

Geetha Nandikotkur

Vice President - Conferences, Asia, Middle East and Africa, ISMG

Nandikotkur is an award-winning journalist with over 20 years of experience in newspapers, audiovisual media, magazines and research. She has an understanding of technology and business journalism and has moderated several roundtables and conferences, in addition to leading mentoring programs for the IT community. Prior to joining ISMG, Nandikotkur worked for 9.9 Media as a group editor for CIO & Leader, IT Next and CSO Forum.




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