EP288 CISO Tested, Board Approved: Cloud Resilience with General Mills CISO Noah Korba

Key takeaways

Hands-on recovery exercises are critical for true cyber resilience, moving beyond theoretical planning.
Prioritization of systems based on their impact on critical business operations ensures effective recovery efforts.
Leadership buy-in and clear communication about recovery expectations help align organizational resilience strategies.
Understanding dependencies and human factors in operational environments like OT is essential for realistic disaster recovery planning.
Regular testing and iteration improve recovery capabilities over time, reducing surprises during actual crises.

Summary

Introduction and Podcast Context

The episode opens with the hosts Tim Peacock and Alicia Kate introducing the topic of resilience in the cloud and business resilience, with a humorous nod to cereals. They emphasize that this episode is about not just tech, but ensuring overall business continuity, especially in critical sectors like manufacturing.

General Mills' Cloud Resilience Approach

Noah Korba discusses General Mills' comprehensive approach to cyber resilience using 'Mills Collaborative Recovery,' an annual hands-on recovery drill that tests their 90% GCP cloud workloads. The exercise involves live recovery procedures to identify weaknesses, improve processes, and ensure readiness. They prioritize critical infrastructure and systems, with a focus on not disrupting ongoing operations.

Evolution of Cyber Resilience Post-2017

The episode reviews how the 2017 surge in ransomware and cyber threats shifted the perception of cybersecurity from merely data-focused to system availability-focused. Noah highlights the importance of executive support and leadership in embedding resilience strategies across the organization, noting that cyber resilience is a continuous, evolving process.

Implementing Recovery Exercises and Business Priorities

The discussion covers how General Mills executes recovery exercises, categorizing systems by criticality. The importance of understanding data flow, dependencies, and the unique needs of OT (Operational Technology) in manufacturing are emphasized. The team also discusses challenging scenarios like restoring manufacturing plants or OT systems that require physical intervention, underscoring that recovery is complex and human factors are critical.

Engagement with Leadership and Setting Expectations

Noah shares insights on engaging senior leadership and the board in resilience activities. He advocates for involving them through education on recovery timelines and challenges rather than full participation in exercises, aiming to establish realistic expectations and foster organizational support for resilience initiatives.

Show notes

How do you make sure your favorite cereal is always on the shelves when a cyber disaster strikes? In this episode, hosts Tim Peacock and Alicja Cade sit down with Noah Korba, VP of Digital Core, Cybersecurity, and Enterprise Architecture at General Mills, to look under the hood of "Mills Collaborative Recovery"—their intensive, annual two-week drill that actually recovers 90% of their Google Cloud estate to test real-world cyber resilience.

⌨️ "Clicking and Clacking" vs. Talking: Why General Mills ditched traditional tabletop discussions to actually run hands-on, keyboard-driven recoveries of their entire cloud infrastructure.
🥣 Protecting the Cinnamon Toast Crunch: How the team mapped out their "Minimum Viable Business" to keep critical supply chain and manufacturing operations moving.
🔑 The IT vs. OT Reality: The unique challenge of recovering factory equipment, where software updates won't work without a physical key turned on the warehouse floor.
💼 To Board or Not to Board: Noah's take on whether involving the board of directors in active cyber exercises is a valuable use of their time.