Should there be a financial penalty for ignoring IT?

"To all employees, this company takes data protection very seriously. It has a material impact on our operations. The CIO and IT Director are in charge of those policies. If one of them comes to your business unit and gives you an instruction, take it as seriously as you would instructions from any other C-level, including myself. As of this date, know this: If you disregard or otherwise violate any IT instruction, you better pray that they are wrong."

"Because if they tell you that you are risking a major data disaster if you don't do what they say - and you disregard that and what they predicted actually happens - it will be the heads of your group that will feel the financial pain. Bonuses, head count and everything else will be subject to financial penalties. Do what they say. That way, if something bad happens, you are off the hook. But if you disregard their messages , you now have skin in the game."

Require every employee to treat CIO and IT Director instructions as binding C-level directives that materially affect operations. Communicate that disregarding or violating IT instructions risks major data disasters and that business-unit leaders who ignore IT warnings will bear financial consequences. Apply penalties to bonuses, head count, and other financial measures when noncompliance leads to harm. Ensure IT directives are enforceable and backed by leadership. Publicly announce the new mandate and enforcement to investors, regulators, customers, and competitors to signal serious commitment to data safety. Combine internal enforcement with external signaling to align incentives and materially improve protection of company data.

Read at Computerworld