Likewise, Ken Knapton, who provides CISO and CIO services through his IT services firm Rocky Mountain CIO, highlights AI as a key CISO priority. It’s about “how do we leverage AI to protect ourselves from AI,” Currie says, highlighting the need for CISOs to train their teams to take on that challenge, in particular securing the data and models on which the company’s AI initiatives depend. As CISO for a company that has — like most organizations today — remote workers, Obadiaru has prioritized advancing a zero-trust environment. “It’s hard for CISOs to do all these things on their priority lists if they don’t own the people and talent to implement and maintain them,” he says.
CISOs are valuable parts of keeping organizations secure, but you still might be wondering why you should hire one. Unlike the CISO, which focuses more on implementing security checks and all security-related activities and responsibilities, the CTO focus more on the organization’s overall IT operations and infrastructures. The term CISO was first introduced by Citigroup around 1994 when https://real-apartment.com/which-cctv-system-to-choose.html they hired Steve Katz to set up a security office to make technology more secure. Thus, CISOs usually have a background or deep understanding of information security, information technology experience, risk management, computer science, or another related field.
By proactively embedding security into every layer of the business, CISOs can move beyond defense to create a foundation for growth. Our approach helps organizations prevent small issues from becoming major disruptions by aligning security with business priorities. This balancing https://beginnersmind.info/mitigating-risk-in-high-speed-cloud-infrastructure-migrations/ act demands an approach that is at once proactive and strategic.
The Chief Information Security Officer Evolution: Business Knowledge for Cybersecurity Executives
- Addressing these stressors through better data management, automation, and contextualized alerting is essential for retaining the CISO’s most valuable asset — people — especially in a vast talent desert.
- The term “resilience” is seen everywhere, but a shared understanding is critical for progress.
- With more than a third of executives now ranking cyberthreats as a top business risk, according to a 2024 Allianz survey, chief information security officers (CISOs) have unprecedented influence—and responsibility—to shape enterprise strategy.
- Many CISOs lead high-level discussions about security strategy and help business leaders understand trends and risks that impact the organization.
- Understanding the machine learning models, data pipelines and decision logic behind these tools is essential for modern cybersecurity professionals.
- She also advises CISOs to work with their company’s federal affairs office, if their company has one, to better understand and prepare for the global issues that concern the company.
A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a senior executive who is responsible for developing and implementing an information security program that protects an organization’s data and systems. We bring together leading cybersecurity experts to share insights that shape all our services. Leverage our expertise, market insights, and industry connections. Real experiences and insights shared by the organizations we work with.
Discover how CISOs can anticipate risks, prioritize vulnerabilities, and implement proactive strategies that strengthen security and accelerate recovery. Organizations that invest in proactive cybersecurity today will be better positioned to protect their reputation, maintain trust, and seize new opportunities tomorrow. This environment requires CISOs to align security with business priorities, embed resilience into operations, and ensure rapid recovery when disruptions occur. This requires a shift from fragmented, reactive measures to an integrated, proactive cybersecurity strategy that anticipates threats before they materialize. Discover the basics of PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) in our beginner’s guide, exploring its key features for secure email and file encryption.
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“It’s the only truly sustainable way to allow a CISO to secure the things they’re accountable for.” So they have put in place governance frameworks and performance-level agreements that drive accountability to the executives who oversee the people and work tied to each specific security objective. For example, those with a low level of security maturity typical focus on strengthening protection of confidential and sensitive data, Ross says, while also upgrading systems to boost corporate resiliency.
Challenges Facing CISOs in 2025 and Beyond
Despite overall similarities in objectives among security leaders, CISOs are also prioritizing based on their organization’s unique needs, based on the maturity of their security posture, as well as their market position, industry, and other differentiating factors. KPMG professionals combine deep industry knowledge with advanced technology expertise to help you anticipate and mitigate cyber risks. Embed business-led protection strategies into governance models, operational processes, and culture. From identity access management and Zero Trust to AI risk governance and managed services, our integrated capabilities align security with business priorities. Explore how KPMG’s integrated cybersecurity capabilities can help deliver resilience, facilitate compliance, and maintain trust—so you can focus on protecting the enterprise.