The Slow Evolution Of The CISO

The role of the CISO is changing but maybe not at the preferable speed. The role has been changing throughout the existence of the CISO from a small technical role to an IT position, to a role that is more demanding than ever. It is becoming a much more executive role than in the past. 

Connecting The Changing CISO Position To The Business Needs

To understand the business needs, as the CISO the business needs to understand you, and your role with the company. Paint a clear picture to the executives and stakeholders on your scope of practice. How these higher positions see you is pivotal in fitting the role with the business functions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help outside of your department for a fresh perspective, let them help-you-help-them. Within the security industry things are moving fast, and they are moving towards digitalization, date, and technology. Many titles are changing within the workplace but the core responsibilities are remaining the same, but with more specific points of interest. 

Automation And The Impact On The CISO

There are so many micro-services and technology improvement products coming onto the market all the time, all this automation really changes the way the CISO has to create their system structure. Being able to have a solid security design and mission can allow for these smaller pieces to fit into the CISO puzzle. Automation is the future of technology and having a position or perhaps even a team to focus on automation is ideal for any large business with a security team. If the automation isn’t being done correctly or the wrong things are being automated it’s useless. If you are spending a ton of time fixing your automation mistakes, it isn’t being adequately placed for the issues at hand. 

Taking A Look At The Risks Within

Building a strong, coherent, and trustworthy team is just as important as the technology used to keep outside attackers away. Educating your team on what is personal property and what is a security risk is crucial. Insider attacks are becoming more and more prevalent in the security industry. Some of these incidents are done with innocent intentions and are just based on negligent naiveté, and aren’t malicious, but some are and having the understanding between security, HR, and management is critical in how these issues are dealt with.  Each department has its own purpose within the organization and when they all work together it makes for a well-oiled machine. As a security officer there are some pieces of information that cannot be shared with other departments. It’s your position as the CISO to do something if you see something that is negatively impacting the security. As an executive officer it is your responsibility to take these security breach actions in your own hands. 

Potential 2020 Trends

Doing more with less is trending in cybersecurity, retaining the same size team but having more responsibility with that team. Getting creative in problem solving when the resources aren’t available can prove the real value of your team to the organization. Using fresh perspective ideas when the team is small and resources are limited can really show you what you and your team are capable of. 

Resources: 

Steve Moore Linkedin

Brian Haugli Linkedin

Scott Morris Linkedin

Exabeam Website

Side Channel Website