As part of our evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, ZS continues to make information security and privacy a top priority. We are committed to maintaining the safety, security and privacy of our assets and personal information—whether they are people, products, policies, processes or systems. ZS hired André Elder as our global chief information security officer (CISO) to bring this commitment to life.
“Knowing that data is the core of all information technology, we here at ZS can’t do our jobs and service our clients successfully without data security. Data is at the foundation of everything we do,” André says.
André comes to ZS with a rich background of working in cyber security and military intelligence. A U.S. veteran, André started his career in the Air Force and was later recruited to the National Security Agency. After branching out into the private sector, André found himself looking for new opportunities that would align with his personality, character and values. His search ultimately brought him to ZS.
“Being in a security function, we typically aren’t in a space with a lot of autonomy,” André says. “But working here at ZS affords me the opportunity to make the case on why specific risk categories are important, then proceed to build capabilities that reduce risk. This provides the necessary support to the business, ensuring strategic goals and objectives are obtained.”
André has since worked to expand our data security practices. He organized research and presentations to prove the importance of secure code development and defined associated risks.
“One of our top priorities as a cyber security professional is to protect the integrity of the data that sustains and enables human life,” André explains. “When you start having data loss or the misuse of common and available information, you’re putting a human being at risk. You’re putting our companies at risk and our clients at risk.”
André is exploring ways to accomplish this work while enabling the current business at ZS. The accomplishments started small with proof of value but have since expanded to touch other parts of our organization. ZS has made major progress with André’s help over last year as we continue to strengthen our commitment to data security. From renewing our acclaimed HITRUST CSF certification to embedding application security governance framework (ASGF) in our digital and technology practices, ZS protects our clients’ data at all costs.
As we move into 2023, André has set goals that span people, process and technology. “Data security is a monster for all organizations to manage. We’re producing billions and billions of bytes of data per day! It’s very hard to manage and it’s extremely hard to find the subject matter experts that understand the importance of the data that’s being created,” André says. “ZS is fortunate to have the right people in place across business functions, and we’re working to establish the right technologies that can automate and create this function in a more efficient manner. We’re trying to enhance the repeatable processes that makes it easy for the risk to be reduced end-to-end.”
This furthered commitment to data security allows ZS to foster deeper client relationships built on credibility and trust. We want our clients to know that we are handling their information safely, laying the groundwork for successful, continued collaboration.
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