The company board expects the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to fulfill several key responsibilities related to cybersecurity and risk management.

Here are some more expectations of the CISO (also see Part 1):

Security Awareness and Training

The board expects the CISO to develop and implement cybersecurity awareness programs to educate employees, contractors, and stakeholders about security risks, best practices, and their roles and responsibilities in maintaining a secure environment. The CISO should promote a culture of security awareness throughout the organization. How easy is this to do? Its challenging but various third parties can help.

Stay Informed about Emerging Threats and Technologies

The board expects the CISO to stay up to date with the evolving cybersecurity landscape, including emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and technologies. The CISO should provide insights on potential impacts to the organization, recommend appropriate security measures, and advise on strategic decisions related to cybersecurity.

Vendor and Third-Party Risk Management

With increasing reliance on third-party vendors and service providers, the board expects the CISO to establish vendor risk management processes. This includes evaluating the security posture of vendors, conducting due diligence, and monitoring their compliance with security requirements and contractual obligations.

Communication and Reporting

The CISO is responsible for providing regular updates to the board on the organization’s cybersecurity posture, including emerging threats, incidents, and the effectiveness of security controls. The board expects clear and concise reporting, highlighting risks, vulnerabilities, and the status of ongoing security initiatives.

Budgeting and Resource Allocation

The board expects the CISO to collaborate in developing the cybersecurity budget, ensuring adequate resources are allocated to support cybersecurity initiatives. The CISO must effectively communicate the financial requirements and demonstrate the value of investments in cybersecurity to the board.

Be a Strategic Leader !!

Overall, the board expects the CISO to be a strategic leader, working closely with executive management, demonstrating a deep understanding of cybersecurity risks and their impact on the organization, and actively contributing to the overall risk management and governance framework.

Top CISOs understand technology but also how to navigate the complexities of an organization and build consensus and support from below, from peers and from above, including the Board of directors. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it J

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Here are some common expectations of the CISO:

Develop and Implement Cybersecurity Strategy:

The board expects the CISO to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy aligned with the organization’s goals and risk appetite. This includes assessing the organization’s security posture, identifying vulnerabilities and threats, and developing plans and policies to mitigate risks.

Example Steps of How the CISO Might Build A Solid Cyber Security Strategy:

1. Security Awareness.
2. Risk Prevention.
3. Data Management.
4. Establish Network Security and Access Control.
5. Regularly Monitor and Review Security Measures.

CISOs may need to consider 3 critical elements to gain maximum impact, namely, governance, technology, and operations.

Ensure Compliance with Regulations and Standards

The CISO is responsible for ensuring the organization’s compliance with relevant cybersecurity regulations, industry standards, and best practices. This includes staying updated on changing regulatory requirements and overseeing the implementation of necessary controls to meet compliance obligations.

For instance, to help strengthen the organization’s compliance even further, CISOs may need to undertake these steps to ensure their organization remains compliant. 

1. Conduct Regular Risk Assessments.
2. Create Policies and Procedures for the Organization.
3. Clearly Communicate Roles and Responsibilities.
4. Streamline Processes.
5. Review Policies Regularly.

Risk Management and Assessment

The board expects the CISO to conduct regular risk assessments and establish risk management processes. Risk management is the macro-level process of assessing, analyzing, prioritizing, and making a strategy for mitigating threats and managing risk to an organization’s assets and earnings. Risk assessment is a meso-level process within risk management.

The CISO’s efforts will involve identifying, assessing, and prioritizing cybersecurity risks, as well as implementing controls and mitigation strategies to reduce the organization’s exposure to cyber threats.

Incident Response Planning and Execution

The CISO plays a crucial role in developing and implementing incident response plans to effectively address and mitigate cybersecurity incidents.

An incident response plan is a document that outlines an organization’s procedures, steps, and responsibilities of its incident response program. Incident response planning often includes the following details: how incident response supports the organization’s broader mission.

An incident response communication plan should address how these groups work together during an active incident and the types of information that should be shared with internal and external responders. The communication plan must also address the involvement of law enforcement.

The board expects the CISO to establish protocols, coordinate response efforts across teams, and lead incident response activities to minimize the impact of security breaches. For instance, The NIST incident response lifecycle breaks incident response down into four main phases: Preparation; Detection and Analysis; Containment, Eradication, and Recovery; and Post-Event Activity.

Security Governance and Policy Development

The CISO is responsible for establishing and maintaining security governance frameworks, policies, and procedures. This includes defining and enforcing security standards, guidelines, and controls throughout the organization to protect critical assets, data, and systems.

Security governance is a process for overseeing the cybersecurity teams who are responsible for mitigating business risks. Security governance leaders make the decisions that allow risks to be prioritized so that security efforts are focused on business priorities rather than their own.

Development and maintenance of Information Security Policies, is an integral part of any Information Security Program. Security policies set the standard for the implementation of all controls associated with managing the risk associated with an organization’s Information Security Plan.

What else does the Board require of the CISO? Stay tuned for Part 2…

The post Part 1: What does the company board expect the CISO to do? first appeared on .