Making the Impossible Role of the Modern CISO Possible
Every organization wants a strong, reliable Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)—someone who keeps systems secure and manages cyber risks. But the reality is often much more complex. These days, a CISO seems to be expected to be, all at once, a cyber detective, a strategic navigator, night watchman, regulatory manager, team leader, and compliancespecialist all at once. How human is that, really? And what does this pressure mean for both the CISO and the organization?
The Modern CISO
This is pretty much what a CISO has on their plate these days: one day you’re responsible for anticipating complex, time-consuming cyber threats; the next, you’re explaining technical risks to the board. At the same time, you’re keeping track of an ever-increasing number of laws and regulations, assessing third-party risks throughout the entire supply chain, guiding the security team in their development, and supporting digital transformation projects. And oh yes, don’t forget that you’re often expected to be the first to make lightning-fast decisions in the midst of crisis situations—preferably the right ones—even though you haven’t always been given the appropriate budget to do so.
It’s almost a parody of a single role: a jack-of-all-trades who, in theory, should be able to do everything, but in practice cannot fully excel in any one area. Yet such profiles are in increasingly high demand. This text appeared verbatim in a CISO job posting from a municipality: “In this role, the CISO is expected not only to develop and monitor information security policies, but also to provide strategic advice to the board and executive management, oversee compliance with measures, coordinate incident management, collaborate with various internal security roles, and foster a culture of information security.” Apparently, there’s little time left for sleep or for clear, rational thinking.
Excessively High Expectations
This combination of responsibilities and often limited resources—such as an insufficient budget—has clear consequences. CISOs are at high risk of excessive workloads and burnout. Stress, sleep deprivation, and mental exhaustion are, unfortunately, common occurrences. Furthermore, a recent article in Computable* suggests that the CISO’s salary is also out of proportion to the workload.
The consequences are also noticeable for the organization itself. A CISO who is under constant pressure may make poorer decisions, knowledge is lost due to turnover, and strategic continuity is compromised. As a result, the organization may be too slow to anticipate growing cyber threats.
Or unrealistic expectations?
The key question is: Can you really expect this from a single person? The answer seems clear: no. This phenomenon also occurs in other roles, by the way: organizations often tend to demand a job profile that is, in fact, impossible to fill. In this case, the solution does not lie in finding an even better, stress-resistant CISO, but in redistributing responsibilities.
And assignment of tasks
Fortunately, there are additional roles that can take on some of the CISO’s responsibilities. Here are a few examples, starting with an assistant: An ISO can be a somewhat less experienced individual who, under the CISO’s direction, primarily handles day-to-day operational tasks, allowing the CISO to focus on the big picture. A Technical Information Security Officer (TISO) can take on technical security, architecture, and operational monitoring, while a Compliance Officer or Data Protection Officer (DPO) focuses entirely on regulations, audits, and risk assessment. Security Architects design secure systems and ensure that implementations comply with policy. By strategically deploying such roles, the CISO’s role becomes more human, manageable, and achievable again, allowing him or her to focus on strategic decisions, vision, and an organization-wide cybersecurity strategy.
Enabling the Modern CISO
You’ve just read about the redistribution and assignment of tasks. But what do you do if, as a CISO, you don’t have these people on staff? OneXillium can serve as a sort of first aid for CISOs: we take over certain tasks but can also provide a sounding board for exchanging experiences with other CISOs. All with the goal of allowing you, as a CISO, to focus entirely on strategic decisions, because “working together” means the operational pressure is eased. That’s something to be happy about.