FINAL WORD
Frank Kim , SANS Institute Fellow
This allows them to effectively articulate the severe consequences of successful attacks , regulatory non-compliance , and the business benefits of modern security capabilities , in turn justifying the importance of ample security resources , frameworks , and cross-functional collaboration in the eyes of executive stakeholders .
Compounded at scale , securing buy-in across those facets enables CISOs to implement resilient security strategies around high-value assets to safeguard the organisation from major breaches that result in legal liability . It also helps cultivate a culture of security vigilance built on communication and collaboration amongst organisational leaders . organisation ’ s attack surface from threats in high volume and velocity . The whole is better than the sum of its parts .
As such , security teams must be positioned with the right people , processes , and technologies that enable them to perform efficiently and minimise friction . When that fails to happen , it falls on the CISO in charge , another driving factor of the stressful conditions we are under today .
CISOs must be vigilant about ensuring their practitioners possess fundamental skills that are aligned to their organisation ’ s evolving security needs , especially as rapid enterprise digital transformation continues causing companies to adjust operating models on the fly .
Covering those bases is worth its weight in gold when it comes to reducing anxiety associated with the CISO role . While new obstacles will always exist on the horizon , having robust resources and contingency plans in place helps ensure you can navigate them with agility .
Head coach
The transformational CISO role resembles that of a head coach in sports . Cyber defence is a team sport , and it takes a collective effort to defend an
Formula for transformational leadership
• Be more than just a pure technologist .
• As a transformational provider of influence , align an organisation ’ s security needs with other high-priority functions of the enterprise .
• Become adept at leveraging enterprise risk strategies to articulate correlation between cyber and business risk that resonates .
• Articulate severe consequences of successful attacks , regulatory noncompliance , and business benefits of modern security capabilities .
• Justify importance of ample security resources , frameworks , and crossfunctional collaboration in the eyes of executive stakeholders .
• Securing buy-in across facets enables CISOs to implement resilient security strategies around high-value assets that carry legal liability .
• Cultivate a culture of security vigilance built on communication and collaboration amongst organisational leaders .
• New obstacles will always exist on the horizon , but having resources and plans in place helps ensure they can be navigated with agility .
• Be vigilant about ensuring practitioners possess fundamental skills that are aligned to the organisation ’ s evolving security needs .
• Prioritise implementation of security automation tools and robust security programme frameworks .
• Streamline manual workflows via automation which lessens burden on understaffed security teams , reducing staff-wide burnout .
For example , during a company-wide transition from hybrid , on-premises , cloud to fully cloud-based deployments , practitioners may need additional training on intricate cloud security concepts or zerotrust principles . This is where scaled cybersecurity certification training partnerships can be leveraged to upskill existing employees and equip them with the foundational knowledge essential to executing their role .
Master of tools
It is important for CISOs to prioritise the implementation of security automation tools and robust security programme frameworks . Streamlining manual workflows via automation , likely to be AI-enabled lessens the burden on understaffed security teams juggling numerous responsibilities , in turn reducing staff-wide burnout that often trickles up to the CISO ’ s seat .
Meanwhile , the latest version of the National Institute of Standards and Technology ’ s , NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 is a perfect example of a well-defined programme framework that promotes operational efficiency . It adds a cohesive structure to the organisation ’ s policies , procedures , processes , and activities so that practitioners and tools operate more effectively , enhancing the performance of the whole end-to-end security architecture .
The challenges of cybersecurity ’ s evolving threat landscape and regulatory environment call for modern CISOs to transcend the traditional boundaries of their role . Moving with a transformational mindset is critical to weathering the storm .
By embracing this leadership style , they can cultivate a culture of security prioritisation , empower their teams , and foster greater resilience for both their organisation and them . p
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