Good security hygiene needs to be a fundamental part of company culture, and leadership should make it clear that proper security practices are part of achieving business objectives.
Infusing security and operational resilience throughout the organization requires understanding the needs and workflows of all departments, how different teams use technology, where sensitive assets are stored, and who has access to them.
To align security and business goals, company leaders must plan ahead, encourage proactive communication across departments, foster a culture of teamwork, and embrace collaboration.
A security breach can be devastating for an organization, with long-lasting impacts rippling outward from the data exfiltration or damage to systems.
With so much at stake, cybersecurity and resilience go far beyond the office of the chief information security officer.
Successful organizations understand the multifaceted nature of security, which means effective CISOs work closely with other team leaders to define and implement the organization's security strategy, with some common interactions, as noted below.
CISO + CTO The CISO and the chief technology officer should cooperate to develop a cybersecurity strategy that supports the organization's technology plans, jointly assessing the risks of established and new technology initiatives, and collaborating to define the controls necessary to achieve compliance with firm policies and relevant regulations.
A CIO's main focus is typically more on the features and functionality of information systems, while the CISO is more oriented toward security and compliance.
Together, these leaders can develop a highly functional system that meets the needs of the organization and helps deliver on business goals without compromising security.
CISO + CRO The CISO and the chief risk officer frequently collaborate on identifying cybersecurity risks and establishing plans to mitigate those risks.
Together, these two leaders can make sure that the organization's cybersecurity strategy is aligned with its overall risk appetite and mitigating controls are developed and deployed to maintain an effective risk posture.
CISO + CCO The chief compliance officer should likewise collaborate with the CISO to inform the development of cybersecurity policies that comply with relevant global regulatory and legal requirements.
A comprehensive understanding of these requirements can inform corporate policies and procedures, and serve as the basis for building a culture of cybersecurity awareness that's reinforced with training for personnel throughout the organization.
The CISO should partner with these leaders to craft and deliver their security strategy, whether digital or otherwise.
Together, the CISO, COO, and CEO can consider all the dependencies and ensure security policies are deployed in a way that supports larger business goals.
Organizational Principles Using cybersecurity frameworks such as those developed by NIST or the Cloud Security Alliance can be instrumental in holistically and programmatically assessing security risks.
These frameworks are just tools, and should not be conflated with serving as a security strategy.
Effective collaboration between leaders and departments is crucial for the successful execution of an organization's cyber strategy and its ability to provide a holistic picture of the state of cybersecurity in the organization, as well as individual team members' understanding of their roles in supporting and executing the overall strategy.
Ongoing professional development and building cross-functional security teams are crucial elements of developing this culture of security aimed at identifying and preventing incidents from occurring.
A sense of teamwork and a "We're all in this together" approach are vital for building a cybersecurity culture that takes root throughout your organization.
This Cyber News was published on www.darkreading.com. Publication date: Fri, 01 Dec 2023 22:15:07 +0000