In order to put a face on the depth and breadth of potential insiders that can be found throughout your enterprise, I will introduce you to three insider villains and three insider heroes. Each villain will represent one of the key misuse of privileges and each hero will represent key values delivered by least privilege. This sixth and final introduction will be of the most unlikely hero.
“Compliance Carl” is is your classic auditor responsible for regulatory compliance reporting and auditing of IT policies for enforcement of corporate governance. Carl has two sides. The unassuming, nose-to-the-grindstone side worries about system processes and productivity. And the assertive, give-‘em-no-quarter’ side worries about human mistakes and malice.
Carl is about dualities: part technical analyst, part financial analyst. At his best Carl is part Sherlock Holmes and part Judge Judy. At his worst he is part Homer Simpson and part Harvey Two-Face.
Most business and IT executives alike tremble when Compliance Carl comes around because they know their practices and systems will be scrutinized. Part of this generalized fear is the black and white nature of a compliance audit. At the end they will either pass or fail. A failing mark can mean anything from small policy changes required to massive financial fines.
Because these decisions are almost solely at the discretion of the type of Compliance Carl you have in your organization, the difference between the “Holmes/Judy” version can be dramatically different that the “Simpson/Two-face” version without a least privilege solution.
