Governing Body Spotlight

Steve Grossman is the Chief Information Security Officer at the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he is a Co-Chair of Evanta’s New York CISO community.

Learn more about leaders in the New York CISO community here.
 

Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.

During my tenure as the SVP of Technology Infrastructure for the league office, I had the opportunity to lead technical teams that were responsible for fan-facing, partner, broadcast, and corporate technology. While advancing our overall strategic objectives, I was also heavily involved in designing, building, and maintaining our security technology and systems. Based upon this background, and my familiarity with our cyber program, it was a logical transition to the CISO role when the opportunity presented itself.
 

What is one of your guiding leadership principles?

I always make certain to listen and seek out the opinion of others before providing my own in a team setting. This empowers the group and lets them know their input is valued and that they can impact outcomes on critical decisions. I have succeeded in building a productive and collaborative group when they are independently cross communicating to solve pertinent business and technical issues.
 

With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CISO going in the next 1-2 years?

In the next two years, I see the CISO position becoming highly visible and having a more active role within the executive team and board of directors. Due to new cybersecurity legislation being introduced, the cost of cyber incidents continuing to rise, and the business impact a cyber event has the role will be brought more to the forefront.
 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CISO?

I would advise a new CISO to listen closely to gain visibility into what is and is not currently working for the organization. Strive to understand the key players, the underlying technical stack, and the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Additionally, due to the ever-growing complexities of the threat landscape, make certain to practice tabletop exercises, keep all levels of management familiar with the current incident response plan, and always prepare for worst case scenarios. Select a framework to work towards to identify and minimize risk, and have a strong user awareness training program, as users are your first line of defense.
 

Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.

1. I almost ran over John Stockton’s foot with a network technology cart at the 2001 All-Star game during a live interview.
2. I was largely involved in the build out of the NBA Virtual Fan environment utilized during the pandemic and had the opportunity to spend time in the “2020 NBA Bubble”.
3. I am a father of three daughters, and two have followed me into the technology and cybersecurity industry.
    

What is the value of joining an Evanta community?

Evanta’s greatest value is that it provides a forum to interact with your CISO peers. They are often working through similar challenges, and you receive candid feedback on their approach to addressing these concerns. The community is also extremely supportive and serves as an impartial sounding board when discussing technical trends, and the state of the cybersecurity industry.  Overall, my time with the Evanta community has enabled me to gain significant knowledge while building both strong professional and personal relationships.

Evanta Governing Body members share their insights and leadership perspectives to shape the agendas and topics that address the top priorities impacting business leaders today.
 

by CISOs, for CISOs
 

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