Security News > 2024 > June > CISOs becoming more comfortable with risk levels

Contradicting legacy stereotypes of the CISO as inherently risk averse, only 16% of today's CISOs classified their current risk appetite as low.

CISOs see their CEOs as much more risk averse than themselves, with twice as many respondents perceiving their CEO as having a low-risk appetite.

"The research makes it clear that CISOs are generally hungry to play a more proactive role that enables innovation while also protecting the business. In my experience, the best way to make CISOs more proactive partners across the C-suite is to gain deep understanding of the business challenges C-suite colleagues are focused on solving and align those to security strategies, rather than attempt to assert security strategy - or individual technology choices - on what is perceived to be C-suite risk appetite," said James Robinson, CISO at Netskope.

65% of CISOs surveyed believe the CISO role is changing rapidly, and they report becoming more proactive and progressive, a trend driven by the adoption of modern technology that creates new possibilities for driving innovation and business impact.

In contrast, 59% of CISOs now consider themselves to be business enablers, with 67% stating that they want to play an even more active role going forward, and 66% wish they could say "Yes" to the business more often.

"With business technology and cyber threats evolving at a faster pace than ever, it is encouraging to see that CISOs are increasingly progressive in their thinking. CISOs clearly no longer feel the need to lock down access completely if it is to the detriment of the business," said Steve Riley, Field CTO at Netskope.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/06/28/ciso-risk-appetite/