Value chain security is an important component of the cybersecurity strategy for Cisco Systems Inc. The networking hardware provider manages a coordinated program spanning manufacturing, technical services and engineering teams to implement a comprehensive global supplier and channel partner security approach.

Managing supply chain risk requires a comprehensive approach over the complete product or process lifecycle, and Cisco is looking at the potential impact of new technologies such as blockchain and the “internet of things” as part of its solution.

“We define the value chain as the end-to-end lifecycle for any solution,” said Edna Conway (pictured), chief security officer of global value chain at Cisco. “In order to build trust, you need to understand the risks you are taking, and those risks need to be measured in the language of business.”

Conway spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, at the  RSA Conference in San Francisco. They discussed the impact of IoT devices at the network edge and potential security solutions offered by blockchain technology. (* Disclosure below.)

Need for device data security

The language of business increasingly includes a discussion of how data is flowing through connected IoT devices. How that data will be secured and managed is an area of focus for Cisco and its partner community.

“What IoT does is give you edge visibility that you never had before,” Conway said. “The question is whether folks have deployed their IoT in a way that included the security community. You should have security at the table.”

Cisco is also looking closely at the blockchain for security solutions in the value supply chain, according to Conway. Last September, the company co-founded the Trusted IoT Alliance, comprised of 17 companies seeking to establish new protocols for a blockchain-based IoT.

“Blockchain is an incredibly useful tool,” Conway said. “It will allow us to develop a passport for the data. We can have a chain of custody.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the RSA Conference.

Photo: SiliconANGLE