Cyber Insiders-v8-web - Flipbook - Page 10
THE EVOLUTION
If there is anything we know for
certain, it is that change is a constant,
particularly in the cybersecurity
domain. However, the rate at which
the world hurtled through its digital
transformation journey over the last
few years would have never transpired
had it not been for the pandemic.
Although we were always evolving
towards greater digitalisation and
had certain drivers in place to nudge
the process along, every step was
calculated and with the option to hit
pause. That is, until Covid propelled
us forward, for better or for worse.
Today,organisations m ustcontend w ith an evergrow ing battalion ofcybercrim inals,backed by the
w ealth ofskills,resources and netw orks offered on
a flourishing black m arket.Itis no longera question
of“if” but“w hen” an organisation falls victim to an
attack.The cybersecurity landscape has evolved,
and alongside this,so too has the role ofthe C ISO .
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The Strategist
Fordecades,C ISO s and theirteam s w ere laser
focused on a singularobjective:protectthe com pany
from cybersecurity threats.They w ould scourtheir
respective netw orks forvulnerabilities and endeavour
to close allgaps,often atthe expense ofprogress
and innovation,unfortunately earning them selves
the reputation ofbeing “the departm entofno” in
the process.Yet,operating w ith such a conservative
m entality is detrim entalto business grow th,let
alone survival.O fcourse,taking the otherextrem e
– feigning ignorance and neglecting to im plem ent
any security m easures – could jeopardise business
continuity as w ell.So,C ISO s today are having to
adopta strategic role to find the happy m edium ,
balancing risk w ith innovation and cost.They can no
longerjustcham pion one pillarbutm ustunderstand
the nuances and interdependencies ofallthree,
m anage the risk accordingly w hile enabling the
business to m eetits long-term objectives.
The Advocate and Influencer
“It’s becom ing harderto be a purely technicaldriven
C ISO ,notonly do they to understand and m anage
risk,butthey also have the skills to com m unicate
this effectively”.Although boards are increasingly
m indfulaboutthe im portance ofcybersecurity,they
stillneed som eone w ho can translate the technical
jargon.They w antto know w hatthe risks are and how
they can be reduced,w hile achieving bottom -line
savings and top-line grow th.W ith thatsaid,C ISO s
C YBER IN SID ERS M AG AZIN E - Vol.2
