Five Crucial Traits Modern CISOs Must Possess

In 2020, CISOs had a number of curveballs to face, including managing an expanded attack surface and ensuring secure connections for the nascent remote workforce. As CISOs take on a greater range of crucial tasks, they continue to concentrate on preventing evolving threats.

There are a few crucial attributes that all CISOs should have, even if the specific traits of a good CISO may vary based on the firm. These characteristics enable them to thrive in their position and safeguard the data and systems of their company.

Let’s take a peek at five of these key attributes.

Being able to foresee regulatory and threat risk

Knowledge of governance, risk, and compliance is one of the essential competencies.  Companies seek a CISO who is aware of the nuances involved in leading a business down the certification road. To grasp the subtleties of what an organization needs against what it doesn’t, a potential CISO must have gone through these whole cycles.

Organizations often want CISOs who can implement a concept of proactive risk reduction. Such CISOs are aware of upcoming concerns relating to product security, regulatory obligations, and potential attacks.

Also Read: How CISOs Undersell Their Skills And What They Should Do About It

They are quite aggressive

An effective CISO is proactive and takes necessary measures to prevent cyber-attacks before they occur. They also ensure to stay current on new threats and vulnerabilities and take the required precautions. 

Being proactive entails having a strategy in place to cope with any hazards that may arise. This can be achieved by conducting risk assessments, upgrading the organization’s security architecture on a regular basis, and teaching staff members to recognize typical cyber threats like phishing attacks.

Building trust with partners and customers

Aspiring CISOs must demonstrate their ability to work with the company’s marketing and sales departments to create customer confidence in the security of the company’s goods and services. For instance, CISOs could be requested to respond to surveys that clients or partners send to assess the firm’s security procedures. While customer and partner support has always been a responsibility of the CISO, there has been a marked growth in this area over the past three to four years. Industry analysts predict that this tendency will continue as the CISO role emerges as a significant collaborator and influencer across the organization.

Robust communication skills 

Being a terrific communicator is paramount to being a successful counselor and strategist. The demand for eloquent leaders who are skilled in effective communication is more significant than ever as the CISO post evolves quickly.

Putting risks into business perspective, describing cybersecurity strategy in plain terms, avoiding obscure language, and successfully utilizing various communication channels are all part of effective communication for CISOs. Good communication skills enable CISOs to customize their message while addressing the board or engaging with highly technical employees.

Also Read: Top Skills and Traits CISOs Need to Thrive in Today’s Chaotic Enterprise Ecosystem

Desire for lifelong learning

Another essential trait of a great CISO is the desire for personal growth. A CISO should be passionate about learning new things and possess a solid foundation in security expertise. Because a CISO’s actions must simultaneously support their organization’s security infrastructure and align with business objectives, they must have strong analytical and problem-solving abilities. These abilities allow CISOs to comprehend and recommend all-encompassing solutions to real-world issues.

CISOs will undoubtedly come across a wide range of information security concerns while doing their duties; thus, they should be ready and eager to participate in on-the-job, continuous learning. Their education and training programs should cover the continuing need for security improvements, adherence to the most recent standards and laws, and how to integrate and manage security concerns connected to developing technology.

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