The Cannabis ISAO was established in April as a non-profit, member-driven organization to help facilitate an understanding of the all-hazards threats, risks, and mitigation actions the industry can take to provide a safe and secure environment. The organization offers cannabis stakeholders a trusted community and forum for coordinating, collaborating, and sharing actionable and relevant physical and cybersecurity threat intelligence with each other, and to help develop best practices, standards, and relationships that can bolster both individual members and the community as a whole.
“I’ve been fortunate to work in national and homeland security all my adult life, and in the information sharing and analysis community both from the side of government and on behalf of industry for nearly fifteen years. I believe in both security and the vital role ISAOs play in our homeland security ecosystem,” said Andy Jabbour, Founder, President of the Board.
The Cannabis ISAO will collect, analyze, and disseminate actionable threat information to their members and provide members with tools to mitigate risks and enhance resiliency. Communicating this critical information far and wide enhances the situational awareness and preparedness of the entire industry.
“For the cannabis industry, it is important to establish best practices, collaboration, information sharing, and security across the all-hazards threat environment as soon as possible, because those that seek to do harm already have those capabilities in place and will use their maturity to harm the industry – its people and places, and its data and dollars,” Jabbour said.
There is no one solution for developing both organizational as well as industry-wide resiliency against complex threats, but the Cannabis ISAO serves as another tool in a security professional’s toolkit to better prepare for the risks of both today and tomorrow.