Security News > 2021 > July > The Evolving Role of the CISO
Paired with the slew of new threats impacting businesses amid a global pandemic, and the increased scope of what needs to be secured, the past year has propelled the evolution of the CISO. Specifically: While CISOs were once known solely as the security risk managers, CISOs are now expected to be business enablers of an organization.
Resonating, communicating and understanding the needs and concerns of business units and their stakeholders within an organization is the most crucial aspect of the CISO role.
True change for the sake of business risk reduction typically comes through the voices of a network of change agents, not only the lone voice of a CISO "Punching up."
The role of the CISO is evolving faster than ever, and becoming the jack of all security and business trades.
As the role continues to evolve and the CISO's depth and breadth of knowledge regarding the business, its underlying technology and its core risks, the role will continue to elevate outside of IT and be seen as a peer of the CIO. As enterprises continue to evolve, a growing number of effective CISOs will be asked to inherit enterprise risk-management or infrastructure responsibilities.
The future remains bright for the CISO role, as long as we remain focused on truly aligning with the business and managing risk around what truly matters most.