November 2024 meeting of the Des Moines ISSA Chapter

Please join us in person at Principal for the November ISSA Des Moines meeting and lunch.

Session Title: Applying the Science of Cybersecurity to Programmatic Design & Operation

Presenter: McAllen Badeaux

Bio: As vice president and chief information security officer, McAllen Badeaux is responsible for the strategic design and operation of Wellmark’s cyber security control ecosystem, along with the oversight and execution of the many control processes that protect Wellmark’s technology systems and member data.

Prior to joining Wellmark, McAllen built and operated information security programs for many years at several central Iowa companies in the financial services, insurance and digital media sectors.

McAllen holds a bachelor's degree from Simpson College and a master's degree from Boston University, along with a variety of cybersecurity and insurance industry professional designations. He is a military police veteran of the United States Air Force.

Presentation Summary:

Cybersecurity is a science that includes proven control strategies that reduce risk to an organization and better enable it to respond to incidents. Designing and operating preventive and reactive control processes effectively rewards organizations with superior cybersecurity outcomes.

This session will explore strategies that leverage the power of industry control frameworks, technical and risk registries, design and operating effectiveness assessment approaches, and key risk indicators to create a comprehensive cybersecurity programmatic approach. Attendees will find actionable process approaches that integrate products, people, policies, and processes systematically, aimed at identifying hidden risks within their technology infrastructure. The session will focus on foundational control governance to meet the demands of perpetual threat evolution, emphasizing process alignment over technical specifics.

Lunch: Provided by Palmer Group. If you had special dietary needs, please notify me no later than Monday morning prior to the event.

Where: Principal Financial Group 655 9th St. Room DSM 655-2A11

Parking: Parking will be provided by Principal for those who register by noon Monday, registrants will receive parking instructions before the event.

Host or Publisher Jake France