IDC Research and Capgemini have released a report looking at the role of the CISO and how the current pandemic affects cybersecurity.
The new thought leadership report, ‘Future role of the CISO: Basement or Boardroom’ developed by IDC and commissioned by Capgemini, highlights how the role of the CISO and the way in which they are perceived by the business is changing.
This road map shows how CISOs, business managers, and transformation leaders can build on that change in perception and establish security as a business enabler; it also looks into how Covid-19 presents an opportunity to pull these various business units together under a “trust purpose,” the effect of which will persist in your organization for a decade.
The new report is based on 1,000 interviews with IT and business senior leadership across the UK, France, the Netherlands, the US, Germany, Australia, China, India, Japan, and Singapore.
Eight CISO Skills
Based on the research, IDC has identified eight key attributes/themes for the contemporary CISO role as follows:
• Risk oriented – engagement with business over common metrics -> risk
• Trust enabler – guarantee digital trust in transformation
• Relationship builder – bring together stakeholders to form a shared vision
• Financial acumen – know and show the value of money invested
• Communicator – be the voice of security that is understood by others
• Overseer – enforce and control policy that evolves with business
• Technically competent – comprehension is key for interpretation for non-techies
• Crisis handler – increase the focus on the response side of security
How does Covid-19 affect cybersecurity?
As the world comes to terms with a new reality amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the focus on security has never been higher. According to the IDC study that in the last four months the increase in remote working has accelerated identity management, reliance on VPNs, and a ratcheting of cloud-based delivery. But the impact of Covid-19 outlasts the immediate rises in security tooling.
“For CEOs and Business Leaders, the priority must always be to secure their business and their employees” says the study.
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