“Chief Information Security Officer” is a person who plays an important role in an organization. What are the different CISO responsibilities? What job does a CISO usually do? This post lists the different roles and responsibilities of this position.
The CISO Responsibilities
The responsibilities of a CISO can spread across the following organization’s functional domains:
1. Responsible For End-To-End Security Operations
CISOs contribute to the design and approval of a security strategy. And this accounts for the end-to-end lifecycle of information security operations. So this includes the following:
- IT threat landscape evaluation.
- Devising policies and controls.
- Leads auditing and compliance initiatives
They also bring on board key stakeholders. They secure the needed funds and resources. Moreover, they establish important partnerships with external vendors and security experts.
A CISO should manage information security initiatives and employees. Also, this will ensure a smooth transition toward security-aware and risk-free business practices.
2. Ensures The Compliance
One of the CISO tasks is to ensure that the organization is adaptable. Especially to compliance regulations that constantly evolves.
This is crucial for global organizations. That’s because failing compliance costs significantly.
3. HR Management
According to research, about half of all data breaches are caused by human error. Thus, his responsibilities may start by setting the right criteria and mechanisms. To hire employees with knowledge and are aware of the security risks.
This may include the following:
- Verifying checks for job candidates.
- Security education and training program, and
- The policies for identity and access management.
4. Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity
Being a CISO also means being responsible for resiliency against cyberattacks. Cyber resilience is not about prevention and defense against these attacks. But also fast recovery from security breaches.
Also, every security breach incident and response activity should be analyzed. And a CISO handles that. Basing on his analysis, he will propose improvements to the response strategy.
5. The Documentation
A CISO also contributes to various security policy domains associated with the following:
From time-to-time, teams use documentation to follow security best practices. So the CISOs must ensure that the documentation is up to date.
6. Stakeholder Onboarding
Security initiatives need significant financial and workforce resources. And this can emerge as a conflicting goal. Against stakeholders who pursue the greatest business returns. s
The CISO is also responsible for the evaluation of business opportunities against security risks. Especially those that can compromise long-term financial rewards potentially.
Also, onboarding top management executives is crucial for a CISO.
Other CISO Tasks
Aside from the key roles mentioned above, a CISO can also take on other tasks. These include the following:
Contributing To Technical Projects
These can include system design as well as security against potential attacks.
Partnerships With External And Internal Providers
These include managers and executives from different departments. As well as third-party vendors and government institutions.
Employee Behavior Evaluation
These include preventing the situation where an employee goes rogue. Or reviewing and recognizing suspicious behavior, as well as ensuring a fair work environment for everyone.
Financial Reports And Address Cybersecurity As A Business Problem
A CISO is expected to produce the best outcome both from a security and a business perspective. However, they have to do that without compromising regulatory compliance. Or end-user privacy and user satisfaction.
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