The Changing Role of the CISO: 5 Things Happening Now

Every time we cross paths with Dr. Larry Ponemon at a regional SecureWorld cybersecurity conference, we come away with new insights.

We recently chatted with him about the changing role of the Chief Information Security Officer, and he shared five trends for CISOs that he is seeing through research at his Ponemon Institute.

Role of the CISO changing - Top 5 changes now

1. There are more CISOs than ever before: "Many companies that had 'Information Security Managers, or titles like that, now have created a CISO position."
2. CISO prominence continues to grow: "One of the big changes we're seeing is that CISOs are moving up and becoming true c-level executives."
   
3. Many CISOs are now from non-technical backgrounds: "The most prominent CISOs have a good technical foundation but often have business backgrounds, an MBA and the skills needed to communicate with other C-level executives and the board."
4. CISOs are shifting into a coaching role: "Lines of business are taking on more responsibility for the risk and so we're seeing more CISOs go from holding all the risk to becoming more like a coach, helping all lines of business to understand the things that need to be done to ensure cybersecurity."
   
5. CISOs are feeling increased pressure: "New pressures on the CISO include the need to provide assurance and or full disclosure on compliance issues, especially with major new requirements like GDPR and tough state laws like those in New York. We may see these types of regulations spread."

So there you have it, Ponemon research on the changing role of the CISO.

We always learn something from Larry Ponemon.