Businesses can be compared to living entities that need to survive in a harsh environment. To analyze this comparison, one needs to break down the elements involved within it. We have the living entity that is the businesses, then we have the aspect of survival, which can be understood as the existence of the business, and finally, we have the harsh environment, and that can be an analogy of the competition with other businesses. So, the growth of a business is what keeps it going and thriving.
From that comparison, we understand that although basic survival is used as an analogy for a business’s existence, the actual strategy of all businesses is to keep growing. Some say, “Grow or die.” From the starting point, all businesses need to keep growing. Otherwise, the very existence of a business comes into question. In other words, the need for a business to keep growing is intrinsically tied to its existence. So, if a business is not growing, it is already in a critical condition, never mind if the business is covering its expenses. The bottom line is that the business is depleting its reserves, essentially consuming itself.
A business must continually evolve to avoid stagnation and eventual bankruptcy. This progress that businesses seek can be attained by bringing new ideas and innovation to the table. Using traditional methods to bring progress can only take the business so far. With so much competition today, the traditional methods will certainly give a good push in the right direction. Still, this progress will soon run out of steam, gradually losing the necessary momentum. And when that situation happens, the business will return to a dangerous stagnation.
All businesses need to find ways to progress toward remaining sustainable and ongoing. Change rarely comes from within, and innovation is almost always driven by lessons learned from outside organizations. Finding a guide who has done this before with a proven track record will go a long way towards removing uncertainty and driving business value. Finding an advisor to drive innovation is one of the paths that a business can take. If partnered with a competent advisor, the business can expect positive results. Consultancy firms often have street knowledge gained from similar efforts from organizations like yours. In fact, it is not entirely incorrect to say that in some cases, consultancies can very well be the driving force behind the success of a business.
Consultancies can help businesses in all aspects. From management to technical support, a consultant can help a business grow. By partnering with a consultant, a business can focus on its strengths. The consultancy can then focus on the relevant problematic aspect they are engaged for in the first place. The consultant agency helps by bringing fresh ideas to the table, enabling the growth that the business is seeking. And when it comes to providing consultancy services, a prominent example is Alex Sharpe.
Alex Sharpe is a recognized thought leader in cybersecurity, digital transformation, and risk management.
Alex Sharpe has more than three decades of profound experience in privacy and cybersecurity with real-world operational experience. Unlike most cyber professionals, Mr. Sharpe has built and led businesses. He is one of the very few with strong business and cybersecurity skills.
He has delivered to clients in almost thirty countries on every continent except Antarctica. He has helped corporations and government agencies reap the rewards afforded by technology while managing their cyber risk throughout his career. This provides him with a great understanding of the balance between cybersecurity, operational effectiveness, and business realities.
Alex Sharpe is a member of the board of BWG Strategy. He is a guest lecturer and speaker. He attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology, earning his BSEE concentrating in Computer Engineering with minors in Math, and Computer Science in 1986. He received his Master’s from Johns Hopkins University in 1995 in Systems Engineering, Operations Management, and Program/Project Management. Sharpe’s profound experience and talent won him two merit awards from the Columbia Business School in 2018.
Mr. Sharpe has contributed to many National and International efforts, including changes to regulatory environments for Crypto Currency and Digital Assets, the U.S. adoption of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the development of the Operational Resilience Framework (ORF), and the development of frameworks for Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP)/ Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) for the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).
Alex Sharpe began his professional career at the National Security Agency (NSA) in 1986. He moved into the management consulting ranks, where he built practices at Booz Allen and KPMG. After gaining profound experience in business strategy and corporate governance, Sharpe co-founded two firms, including the Hackett Group, where he ran the eBusiness P&L for the firm, and eForce as the Vice President of Global Operations. He subsequently went out on his advising boards and senior executive on business strategy, cyber risk, complex program management, and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). Throughout his career, Alex regularly works with regulators, industry bodies, and standards organizations like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ISACA, InfraGard, Global Resilience Federation (GRF), the Global Digital Currency and Asset Association (Global DCA), the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), NIST and ISO.
