June 19, 2013 By Marc van Zadelhoff < 1 min read

We’ve been doing some research on how to talk security to the CIO. Been fascinating. Talked to two CIOs just this week and many more  last week. I’m amazed at how much security is on their radar and how much they know about it. We’ve been warned to “keep it simple, CIOs aren’t experts”… we’ve found the opposite.  Nothing superficial about it, they are living this.  Key themes:

  • Security has spiked as a Board room concern (read: “I now get called in often!”)
  • They still feel they don’t know what they don’t know (e.g., is there malware we just haven’t found?)
  • Very risk management oriented in their approach to problems solving
  • Tired of needing 30 vendors to solve the problem — looking for a strategic partner!
  • (side note, for those interested in reporting lines: almost all the companies we interviewed, the CIO managed the CISO, with few exceptions)

Certainly themes we’ll be playing on as we move forward with our strategy. One of the CIOs ended by making clear how personally critical security is, she said: “It really is one of the few things that can be a job breaker.” Clear enough.

More from CISO

X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024 reveals stolen credentials as top risk, with AI attacks on the horizon

4 min read - Every year, IBM X-Force analysts assess the data collected across all our security disciplines to create the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, our annual report that plots changes in the cyber threat landscape to reveal trends and help clients proactively put security measures in place. Among the many noteworthy findings in the 2024 edition of the X-Force report, three major trends stand out that we’re advising security professionals and CISOs to observe: A sharp increase in abuse of valid accounts…

Boardroom cyber expertise comes under scrutiny

3 min read - Why are companies concerned about cybersecurity? Some of the main drivers are data protection, compliance, risk management and ensuring business continuity. None of these are minor issues. Then why do board members frequently keep their distance when it comes to cyber concerns?A report released last year showed that just 5% of CISOs reported directly to the CEO. This was actually down from 8% in 2022 and 11% in 2021. But even if board members don’t want to get too close…

The CISO’s guide to accelerating quantum-safe readiness

3 min read - Quantum computing presents both opportunities and challenges for the modern enterprise. While quantum computers are expected to help solve some of the world’s most complex problems, they also pose a risk to traditional cryptographic systems, particularly public-key encryption. To ensure their organization’s data remains secure now and in the future, chief information security officers (CISOs) should educate themselves about quantum computing, proactively address the coming quantum risks to cybersecurity and work to establish cryptographic agility in their enterprise.A future cryptographically…

Topic updates

Get email updates and stay ahead of the latest threats to the security landscape, thought leadership and research.
Subscribe today