DWG Archives

Risk Management and the Arts

Risk Management and security are one of if not the biggest issue facing art organizations today. Unfortunately, it is not just because it may prove daunting but because it is rarely taken seriously within the organization until trouble arises.

Gone are the days when acquiring a HiTrust Certification, SOC2 type 2 auditor’s report, or an ISO 27001 accreditation was enough to defend your firm appropriately. Many seasoned practitioners knew that such a milestone was never a reliable indicator of an organization’s security posture or maturity. And it appears that the rest of the world has finally caught on.

The security threat environment is expanding in tandem with legislative and governance needs. Attacks have become more numerous and sophisticated, the number of attack channels has increased, the attack surface for businesses has increased substantially, and the complexity of our digital footprint has increased even further. In addition, the severe shortage of qualified and available workers to fill security tasks, including Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), compounds the problem.
In short, GRC leaders face numerous hurdles in today’s firms. Yet, surprisingly, I hear little talk regarding the most efficient ways to run a modern GRC or risk management program. Because each firm is unique, there may be a variety of answers. There are, nevertheless, methods for modernizing your procedures.

Do you have a Risk Management Program in place?
How are you currently managing risk?
Why has technology changed so dramatically while GRC programs have remained the same?
Is there a more efficient way to manage today’s modern GRC program?

Before we begin discussing possible solutions, let’s review the basics:
Governance refers to an organization’s statutory or contractual obligations regarding security, risk, and privacy objectives. Noncompliance can result in severe fines and even criminal prosecution in some situations.
Risk refers to managing risk within an organization, focusing on security and privacy standards.

However, this merges with Enterprise Risk Management. Enterprise risk management (ERM) is detecting, analyzing, and treating a company’s risks based on an ongoing assessment by executive management. ERM includes examining the company’s exposures in financial, credit, fraud, strategic, and operational problems.

Compliance refers to an organization implementing security and privacy controls to meet governance standards and decrease risk. Internal and third-party external audits are a significant component of compliance.
My personal experience is firmly rooted in the NPO space, having spent the last 20 years helping many of our art clients with their IT audit and compliance. Based on that, I have some thoughts.

The sheer number of regulatory requirements a modern NPO must meet can be overwhelming. Similarly, managing organizational politics in an NPO is challenging, both for and against risk containment. Security, particularly GRC, has typically been viewed as a cost center rather than a value generator. And as I have stated in previous conversations, seen as a barrier to creativity.

Personnel shortages and burnout are at an all-time high, compounding the problem. According to industry analysis, this gap will continue to increase in the near term and will be a concern for quite some time.
Every day, we hear about one breach or another, and everyone is trying to move towards a more secure posture. However, these areas have financial consequences and criminal prosecutions due to a lack of monitoring and care.

In today’s environment, the message is clear: No matter what problems companies face, they must reasonably preserve the security and privacy of the data.

Running a Risk Management Program

A comprehensive alignment among the leadership is required to establish a more sustainable and scalable approach. Accepting “growing pains,” the additional initial costs, and facilitating cross-organizational working groups are all part of this. Everyone benefits from this arrangement, and key stakeholders must understand how they may help so that they can passionately buy in and be change champions.

To start the process, you must determine what regulatory obligations your firm should meet. The correct response would be, “Ask your auditors when they come in,” however, most auditors assign their most junior, fresh off-the-robe (just out of college) individuals to manage in-house audit interactions. So your best bet is for your Finance Officer to call one of your audit firm’s senior partners and obtain a summary of the regulations you must follow.

After defining the requirements, the hard work can begin, which begins with a thorough understanding of the organization’s environment. For example, what people, procedures, and technology does the organization have? What is the organization’s culture? What is the organization’s risk tolerance?

What is the organization’s risk tolerance? If you can’t answer these questions, you can’t assess compliance adequately. During this phase, we are attempting to piece together several essential views of the organization:

Purpose, vision, and operational needs
Lines of business
Organizational Structure
Key business processes
The digital and physical footprint
Assets
Data processing and storage

Traditionally, there are numerous emails, direct messages, and meetings. As a result, all parties involved experience duplicative manual processes, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction. It’s simple to “drop the ball” or “miss the mark” on even the tiniest of tasks in the traditional way.

You will need a SecOp person to gather the data and get the closest approximation of the organizational reality. This person must have sufficient power to assemble and distill the information for executive review.

SecOps is a relatively new concept that refers to security functions collaborating with DevOps teams (Development and IT) early and frequently and incorporating “paved roads” with “guardrails” into the process.

The teams that are continually maintaining the environment, deploying updates, and keeping the “lights on” are the stars of the show here (DevOps), and it is critical for modern GRC teams (SecOps) to collaborate and integrate with these teams. The most vital connection to cultivate for a modern GRC practitioner wanting to update their program is this one. Cross-training between GRC experts and technical teams is required. Both groups can be experts in the other’s field but must grasp how things function.

Gaining a rudimentary awareness of what tools and processes are in use with DevOps offers significant returns. When we understand how these tools interact, we benefit all parties involved. Therefore, in addition to our personal growth and development, we must teach these technical DevOps teams the fundamentals of GRC. The idea here is to keep it simple; just as a GRC practitioner can’t master complex deployment and troubleshooting, neither should our DevOps teams be expected to lead an audit.

At the very least, the audit should address any commerce, ticketing, change management, and collaboration systems utilized in the teams. A modern GRC practitioner benefits immensely from working with the tools that DevOps teams are already using. Working with DevOps provides those practitioners with the ideal perspective for evaluating organizational security and, as a result, compliance with your criteria.

At the same time, the DevOps teams need to gain an understanding of the following:

The forces influencing framework or standard requirements
The distinction between completing a requirement and meeting the requirement’s intent
How and why must we manage requirements from many frameworks and standards?

What happens during the audit process, why do we gather evidence, and what efficiencies can we put in place to make evidence collecting more consistent, trustworthy, and less impactful on engineering teams
Moving to the system(s) of the record is the final key in this method. Individual file sharing is a formula for disaster.

Can you envision a modern sales team organizing their activities through spreadsheets rather than a sophisticated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system?

Certainly not! So, why do we handle our GRC initiatives in this manner regularly? First, however, it is critical to note that there will likely not be a single system of record. That is why your GRC software must integrate with other sources of a critical system of record.

Critical systems to integrate include change management systems, asset management systems, document management systems (for rules and procedures), and ticketing systems.

In short, make sure your IT and development crew know their systems, bring in an outside security person to lead the SecOps effort, and keep complete records of every process, discovery, and solution.

Sources:
GRC: The Definitive Guide (https://riskonnect.com/resources/grc-guide/)
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GRC (https://tallyfy.com/guides/governance-risk-management-compliance-grc/)
Risk and compliance management made easier (Hitrust- MyCSF)
(https://hitrustalliance.net/documents/mycsf/mycsf_information/MyCSFRiskAndComplianceManagement.pdf)

Behnam Ataee, DWG CTO, has completed the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program certification. Certified HITRUST CSF professionals can deliver simplified compliance assessments and report for HIPAA, HITECH, state, and business associate requirements.

Artificial Intelligence & Search Experience

This article is the third installment in our series discussing search results and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on search experiences. In this part, we delve into the coming evolution of search interfaces, the personalization of search experience, and the implications for digital marketing strategies.

As AI fully integrates into search processes, personalization will be more pervasive, making it less likely for two individuals posing the same query to encounter similar interfaces. While the search results might be the same, the presentation of these results could vary significantly based on the individual’s preferred method of processing information. The AI system will learn the users’ ages, how they consume data, and consider their environment and the question asked.

Search Results & The Mode of Learning

For example, visual learners might see pictorial representations of results. But, first, auditory learners could receive voice responses, and read/write learners may be presented with written summaries. Additionally, due to AI’s environmental awareness, it could provide an auditory response while a user is driving. Another layer of complexity in user interfaces (UI) stems from the subject matter of the inquiry. For example, the UI for a search on nearby movie theaters will differ from one regarding the latest political developments or stock market updates. AI will incorporate the preferred communication method of the subject matter experts into the UI design.

Search Results & The Age Effect

The age effect plays a crucial role in search experience personalization as well. A thought-provoking paper on this topic highlighted that individuals tend to consume content similarly to their generational peers, regardless of their primary learning mode. This phenomenon suggests that if most of an individual’s peers access search results verbally, that person is more likely to do the same, even if they are not primarily an auditory learner.

Search Results & Gender

Algorithms, vital in the digital age, impact many facets of modern life, from news feeds to healthcare delivery and now the Search Engines. However, they pose the same old problem again, as evidenced by recent research from NY University.

The study shows that due to gender bias in algorithms, they encourage misinformation and create online echo chambers on social media sites. The study highlights real-world effects and perpetuates societal inequality. According to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, AI systems identify patterns in massive databases, yet these datasets frequently contain embedded cultural prejudices.

SO, the expectations of radical departure from current norms of search display may be less probable due to the introduction of AI. Nevertheless, there will be change.

Getting Ready For The Coming Search Experience

Putting all these together may sound overly complex, but I promise it is easier today than ever. Over a decade ago, DWG introduced “Lean Mean Marketing Machine diagram” to emphasize the importance of processing content through every available channel to create an effective marketing cycle on the web. It came with a checklist that allowed our clients to check off the content that had been converted and posted. However, despite its accuracy and all the tools, some clients needed help processing the concept. In response, we developed “The Cycle” for internal use and took on the load. Since its inception, we have continuously updated “The Cycle.”

“The Cycle” currently promotes and optimizes clients’ shows, courses, events, and content. Cycling content through platforms and directing them towards the point of sale remains relevant, with even more platforms available in 2023.

In previous articles, we discussed the steps digital marketers should take to adapt their SEO strategies in this emerging environment. As a result, marketing production schedules must accommodate the release of more content or risk falling behind.

Fortunately, AI offers solutions to help manage this increased workload. In addition, numerous tools exist to distribute content across various channels effectively. In the next installment of this series, we will explore the content life cycle in this evolving digital landscape.

You can now read about AI & Marketing Automation in our blog.

Dream Warrior Group, a Los Angeles Based web design and digital marketing Company, providing solutions for your online marketing needs. Our expertise includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Posts & Marketing & Google PPC campaigns. Call us now at 818.610.3316 or click here.

Update to Google Search Result Elements

Google is responding to changes in the search by boosting consumers’ capacity to analyze search results and discover diverse points of view.
Google is responding to change by changing and expanding the search result elements (announced March 28), and thus boosting consumers’ capacity to analyze search results and discover diverse points of view.

The a doption of AI necessitates modifications in the way search results are processed. Many AI enthusiasts believe that search will be obsolete soon, and Google is doing all its power to prevent this.

Google already gives substantially more accurate results than AI when measuring the value of shown material using E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust). But, with this new change, Google offers more relevant and significantly more complete information while maintaining its search features.

Just in time for the International Fact-Checking Day on April 2, Google stated this week that the following modifications are being rolled out to search results:

Introducing ‘About this author’

You may learn more about the background and experience of the authors whose content appears on Google Search by pressing the three dots on any search snippet. Google’s release does not mention where it obtained the author’s information. And as of yet, Google has not provided any further clarification. Nevertheless, this functionality will be available on English search results worldwide.

Easier access to an expanded ‘About this result’

Google’s “About this result” feature will be available in all languages where the search engine is available shortly. Visitors can learn more about the source of content and how Google’s computers judged its relevance by tapping the three dots next to search snippets. This background can assist users in determining which websites to visit and which results to believe.

Google is expanding its “About this result” function with a new section named “About this author.” Google is making it easy to find “About this page” information. Users can now enter a URL into Google Search and see information from “About this page” at the top of the results. The functionality is now available in English internationally.

Adding diverse perspectives to Top Stories

Google is launching a new feature called “Perspectives,” which will appear beneath Top Stories and display views from various journalists, experts, and relevant voices on searched topics. This section seeks to present various perspectives on news subjects in addition to the authoritative reporting available in Top Stories. A carousel will soon be available in English in the United States for desktop and mobile devices.

Advisories for information gaps

When a topic is quickly evolving, or Google’s systems lack high confidence in the quality of accessible results, Google Search will automatically provide content advisories. Google intends to expand these advisories to more languages in the coming months, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese.

In conclusion, Google’s commitment to accuracy and authoritative sources by giving E-E-A-T guidance and their desire to provide consumers with tools to analyze and comprehend search results is at the forefront of our search these days.

Users will get better answers and make better decisions about what they read online. By improving and expanding search elements and adding Bard (Google AI) into the search mix, Google aims to make the information more digestible and thus remain the inquiry destination of choice.

Customer’s Journey and Conversion Funnels

Mastering your customer’s journey is crucial to your organization’s success, and conversion funnels are handy tools for that achievement. Conversion funnels are essential for growing your revenue stream and client engagement.

By evaluating each step of the funnel, businesses can uncover opportunities to optimize their efforts and convert more leads into lasting customers. Customers take a unique trip through your company’s conversion funnel as they purchase. As a result, you must capture their attention, establish trusting relationships, and persuade them to act.

What Is A Conversion Funnel

As a marketer or salesperson, you shape the customer’s journey. Conversion funnels, or sales funnels, provide a realistic structure for this process by allowing potential customers to go through several steps until they complete the desired action: a transaction or purchase.

A good conversion funnel reveals where your visitors and target audience are coming from, what they do on your site, and what happens when they convert. This data can be used to improve your marketing efforts and increase conversions. This post will teach you more about target audiences and how to find them.

Marketers can utilize conversion funnels to track customers’ journey from initial interest to final purchase. Understanding the distinct progression of the digital customer experience enables you to find chances to impact each stage.

The Customer’s Journey

Every customer has a unique journey with your company.

The days of a sequential, linear client journey are long gone. Instead, they perform several activities from the minute they become aware of your brand until they attain their goal, each of which needs tailored approaches for an optimal result.

More customer journeys are taking place online, and 80% of consumers place as much value on the experience as they do on the products and services. As a result, you must comprehend online consumer behavior and provide them with relevant digital experiences.

Understanding and optimizing these clients’ journeys enable you to provide an experience that will tempt them to return again and again.

Organizations utilize a variety of conversion funnel models. They are all dependent on the sort of business and customer. They can also differ since marketing and sales have slightly distinct models. We will look at the Top, Middle, and Bottom (T/M/B OFU) funnel model, which is more sales oriented and thus more applicable to the performing arts. After all, without an audience, there can hardly be any performance.

The TOFU (Top/Middle/Bottom of the Funnel) refers to the early stages of the customer journey when the primary focus is on raising awareness and generating initial interest in a product or service. For example, the TOFU funnel could function as follows in the performing arts:

Top Of Funnel (TOFU): Awareness

The initial stage in every conversion funnel is to attract visitors. Make the general audience aware of the approaching performance or event. This can be performed via a variety of marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, sponsored commercials, public relations, and so on. The goal is to reach a large number of individuals and capture their attention. Once you’ve piqued their interest, you’ll want to keep them interested. To persuade them to take the next step, you can utilize email marketing campaigns, popups, or even retargeting ads.

Engaging yet informative content is ideal for keeping these visitors intrigued. Reviews, articles, or videos may help maintain their interest. SEO is a fantastic way to identify intent-based inquiries to assist in the development of visible and discoverable digital content.

Middle Of Funnel (MOFU): Build Interest and Tempt them

After making people aware of the show, the following step is to pique their interest and communicate with possible customers. This can be accomplished through sneak peeks, trailers, or behind-the-scenes footage highlighting the performance’s distinctive elements and why it’s worth watching.

Next, you’re attempting to persuade your prospects to buy a ticket. You can emphasize the significance of the performance by stressing the audience’s unique experiences, such as live music and fantastic scenery. They also highlight the artists’ talent and the effort they put into the performance.

Bottom Of Funnel (BOFU): Conversion

Once you’ve persuaded them to buy something, you must move them closer to making a purchase. By providing clear calls to action and a simple ticket purchasing process, the company makes it simple for customers to acquire tickets. They also offer discounts and special packages to entice customers to take the next step.

The TOFU funnel’s purpose in the performing arts is to raise awareness and interest, increase desire, and convert potential customers into ticket-buying customers.

Once you’ve convinced the customer to buy something, you need to move them toward making a purchase.

Closing the sale is the last step. Whether it is physical goods or digital downloads, this is the part where you collect payment and ship out the item.

Dream Warrior Group, a Los Angeles Based web design and digital marketing Company, providing solutions for your online marketing needs. Our expertise includes Redesigning your site as a perfect marketing tool. Call us now at 818.610.3316 or click here.

Search Optimization Changes: Artificial Intelligence and Search Engines – Part 2

In my previous article, I promised more specifics regarding the steps you can take to improve your search optimization for the age of AI. The funniest part of the whole process has been the repetition.

For the past several years, I have been describing Google’s shift towards better, more accurate search results. Currently Google Search algorithm seems to contain everything desirable for an AI-driven search optimization.

So, unlike my conclusions in 2021, and early 2022, they were most likely thinking about more than just accuracy. It appears that Google’s data engineers were also thinking about AI and the future of search.

The coming 18 months AI will permanently change how search engines employ and interact with us to rank content. Artificial intelligence has already altered the SEO environment, but we should expect more substantial developments in the coming months. There will be more frequent Google SERP updates as Google fends off other search engines trying to gain market share.

Here are some of the expected effects of these changes:

Voice search will become increasingly significant.

Voice search is getting more popular as smart speakers, and other voice-activated devices become more widespread. As AI advances, we should expect search engines to understand the natural language better. Such improvements mean that content authors must optimize their content for voice search by utilizing conversational language and focusing on answering particular inquiries that consumers may have. To gain more insight, refer to our article on Voice optimization.

Natural language processing (NLP) will become pervasive.

The use of NLP helps search engines grasp the intent underlying the search request far more clearly than today. Search engines should interpret natural language far better as AI advances. Extensive use of NLP means that content providers must concentrate on producing high-quality, natural-sounding information that answers particular issues that users may have.

The importance of user experienc e will be greater than ever.

As search engines improve their knowledge of user intent, they will likewise enhance their ability to measure user experience. As a result, page load speed, mobile friendliness, and ease of navigation will become even more vital for SEO. Therefore, content providers must produce material that answers user inquiries and creates a positive user experience.

Technical SEO will be even more critical.

Technical SEO (efforts that focus on enhancing the technical features of websites) will become increasingly important. Search engines will incentivize site owners to produce better user experiences: more robust UX will result in higher rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). As technical SEO continues to influence the user experience—and searchers’ expectations rise—technical SEO will continue to be one of the most critical factors for organizations to consider when developing their overall SEO strategy and investments.

Personalization will become more critical.

Artificial intelligence (AI) already helps tailor search results based on user behavior and interests. However, personalization will play an even more significant role in SEO. Content makers will need to focus on developing material that is targeted to specific audiences and takes characteristics like location, device, and search history into account. Increased personalization also means a greater need for second and first-party user data gathering.

Visual search will become increasingly prevalent.

Visual search is currently a popular feature on several search engines, and we anticipate it to become considerably more ubiquitous in the next 18 months. In addition, as AI advances, search engines will better detect images and videos. Therefore, visual content optimization (for search) by employing descriptive filenames, alt tags, and captions will be vital.

SEO will see an increase in the use of video marketing.

The coming year will undoubtedly be the year of video. Companies will put out more video content as they seek to garner audiences on more visual and video-based platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram; at the same time, more video and content teams will use search data to guide their tactics. This transition will also benefit people in Google’s ecosystem, as searchers pay more attention to video results.

As audience tastes alter, brands prioritize content quality over production quality (such as effects, lighting, etc.). Straightforward, mobile-recorded videos will likely be a focus because good content does not require large production.

In the next 18 months, AI will substantially impact SEO. As a result, content providers must focus on developing tailored, high-quality, natural-sounding material that answers particular user inquiries while offering a fantastic user experience across all platforms.

Companies must also optimize their content for voice, visual, and video search and consider issues like technical SEO, personalization, and natural language processing. Content providers may remain ahead of the curve by following these trends and ensuring their content is discoverable and exciting for their target audience.