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Introduction
It’s undeniable that a successful Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) must function as a business enabler, significantly impacting the effectiveness and security of an organization. However, implementing security initiatives without considering their repercussions on the business is a grave mistake committed by many CISOs. It’s crucial that CISOs work hand-in-hand with the business, and not against it since each industry sector possesses unique attributes, hence requiring tailored security solutions.
How to be a Successful CISO and Business Enabler
Here are some tips on how you can effectively serve as a successful CISO, enabling your business to strive in an increasingly digital world.
1. Develop a Strategy
To begin, a successful CISO should formulate a clear business-aligned security strategy and policy framework. The policy must be tailor-made for the organization and abide by relevant standards, regulations, and internal requirements. It’s crucial to integrate the strategy with the business objectives and the organizational culture.
2. Create Security Committee
An efficient security governance mechanism is established by creating a security committee involving representatives from all sectors of the company. At the very least, the committee should discuss strategies, policies, initiatives, issues, and incidents.
3. Constitute Virtual Security Team
Make all employees feel at ease to share their opinions and suggestions. Regular meetings should discuss security issues and ensure each department’s representation.
4. Key Messages Directly from CISO
If possible, personally train and educate all new hires (along with the existing employees) about the company policies and the direction on information security. Making sure that everyone appreciates the significance of securing business data.
5. Automate Processes
Successful CISOs must also aim to relieve user-dependency. Automate as many processes as possible, so that regardless of users’ mistakes or mischiefs, company security stays intact.
6. Identify and Address Business Pain Areas
It’s vital to identify the pain areas of the business, which might be due to weak security policies or lack of adequate services. Efficient controls should be brought into place to address these issues and introduce faster and more efficient services.
7. Get User Buy-in
Make it a habit for the Information Security team to not hastily dismiss changes to policies. Always perform a cost-benefit analysis before making any decision and provide alternative solutions whenever possible.
Conclusion
A successful CISO secures buy-in from the business by ensuring all employees understand why a particular policy is essential for them and the company. It recognises that the Information Security function is not merely a technical role but rather a partner to the business and stakeholders.
The success of security initiatives largely depends on the support from top to bottom within the organization. As such, a successful CISO and a stable business are inevitable outcomes of right processes, awareness, and buy-in of all stakeholders.
Related Links: https://securereading.com/effective-ciso-enables-business/