Security News > 2021 > January > CISO Conversations: Intel, Cisco Security Chiefs Discuss the Making of a Great CISO

In this installment of SecurityWeek's CISO Conversations series, we talk to two veteran security leaders in the technology sector: Brent Conran, CISO at Intel Corp., and Chris Leach, Senior CISO Advisor at Cisco Systems.

"When I first started as a CISO, some 20 years ago, I reported to the CIO - and that made sense. But as the CISO role and accountability have evolved, so the reporting structure needs to change as well. Whoever controls the security budget controls the security - and the CIO has different priorities." CIOs want smooth computing; CISOs want secure computing - and the two concepts are not always fully compatible.

"If, as a CISO, you continually raise a hand to escalate issues - and assuming the reporting is to a CIO who has different priorities and ignores you - what can you do? If there is a subsequent breach, it is the CISO who bears the mark of that breach on his CV, forever.

If the CISO is going to take the blame for a failure, he needs to be given the authority to prevent it.

The CISO must be able to sit down with business in a consultative manner, and say, 'I understand where you're trying to go - let me explain the best way to get there.

Asked outright whether the CISO needs to be a businessman or a techie, he replied, "I don't understand the question.

News URL

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Securityweek/~3/FAYu1OG0yts/ciso-conversations-intel-cisco-security-chiefs-discuss-making-great-ciso-0