I’m a New CISO, So Now What?

The role of a modern Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a goal that many young IT leaders aspire to. However, it is often more than people bargain for once you obtain the coveted position. The number and complexity of cybersecurity threats that face companies of all sizes have increased significantly over the past few years, and CISOs’ success will depend on the support they have from their leadership peers in implementing change and security improvements.

Check Point Research released its 2024 Q2 cyber-attack trends report, which indicated a 30% year-over-year increase in global cyber-attacks, reaching an average of 1636 attacks per organization per week. This puts a lot of pressure on CISOs to build a strong plan of defense and implement it quickly.

Key Focus Areas for a New CISO

When thinking about the approach of a new CISO, I believe there are four focus areas in building a strategy for the organization. These initiatives will not only move the organization towards a more secure posture with appropriate tools and processes but also begin to change the culture of the organization to consider security in every strategic decision.

1. Navigating the Complex Cyber Threat Landscape

One of the first challenges a new CISO will face is the rapidly evolving threat landscape. Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with bad actors utilizing advanced techniques such as ransomware, phishing, and zero-day exploits. The CISO must address a growing array of threats targeting not only technical vulnerabilities but also human factors, such as insider threats and social engineering. To manage this complexity, the CISO needs to adopt a proactive approach, stay informed about the latest threats, and collaborate with cybersecurity teams to conduct regular vulnerability assessments and simulations to anticipate potential breaches.

2. Aligning Security with Business Objectives

Another critical challenge is striking the right balance between security and business operations. Security teams often face resistance when new policies or tools slow down processes or increase operational costs. The CISO must work closely with other executive leaders to ensure that security measures do not hinder innovation or business growth. By embedding security early in the project lifecycle, implementing scalable, business-friendly solutions, and promoting security awareness across departments, the CISO can align security practices with business goals, ensuring both protection and agility.

3. Building a Strong Security Culture

Establishing a robust security culture is essential, but it presents its own set of difficulties. Employees at all levels must understand the importance of security, and the CISO must overcome resistance or lack of awareness regarding security protocols. To cultivate a culture of security, the CISO can introduce comprehensive training programs, increase engagement through regular security workshops, and promote transparent communication about risks and expectations. This cultural shift requires strong leadership and buy-in from top management, ensuring security becomes part of the organization’s DNA rather than a checkbox. Remember that the focus is on more than just cybersecurity. We must also consider risks such as social engineering attacks, mobile and IoT security, and physical security, to name a few.

4. Managing Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

With increasing regulatory scrutiny across industries, the new CISO must also ensure the company complies with data protection laws such as GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific regulations like HIPAA. Navigating these requirements while maintaining operational efficiency can be challenging, especially when global operations introduce additional layers of complexity. The CISO must work with legal and compliance teams to stay updated on changing regulations and implement frameworks that make regulatory adherence part of everyday operations. By automating compliance reporting and building flexible, scalable processes, the CISO can manage this challenge without compromising agility.

Harnessing Expertise for Success

Successfully navigating the focus areas above will depend on not just strong internal alliances, but on external alliances as well. With the right internal team, a CISO can implement many of the required policies and tools on their own. However, most CISOs will also find value in using external third parties to assist with certain objectives. For instance, depending on the regulatory requirements of your organization, you might be required to have an external penetration test once a year or possibly an automated vulnerability scanning service once a month or quarter. When a CISO is new in the role or exploring a new area of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence, it could be helpful to hire a third-party consultancy to assist in a cybersecurity gap analysis to provide direction and a roadmap for a security strategy.

For these exact reasons, MicroAge has invested in a robust cybersecurity practice designed to assist organizations that are making significant investments in cybersecurity for the first time and are fine-tuning specific areas of their security posture. While not an exhaustive list, MicroAge has been helping organizations for many years with projects such as…

• Alignment to a cybersecurity framework (i.e., NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001, Center for Internet Security, NIST 800-53, SOC 2, and others).
• Selecting and implementing industry-leading cybersecurity tools and solutions from vendors like Microsoft, Sophos, Palo Alto, Mimecast, Varonis, CrowdStrike, Fortinet, Rapid 7, and others.
• Incident Response Services
• Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Scanning
• Fractional/Virtual CISO Services
• Cybersecurity Gap Analysis Services

Finally, MicroAge offers a custom Managed Security Service (MSS), which includes endpoint and server protection, email security, multi-factor authentication, user-awareness security training, cloud backups, and a 24×7 help desk service. These services were designed to ease the burden of a CISO who is trying to balance the seemingly impossible task of securing the borders of an organization, which is expanding every day with the growth of personal devices, cloud services, and traveling employees. If MicroAge can play even a small role in better securing our customers, we believe we have made a difference that will last … a spirit that is at the core of our company and reflected in our new tagline, “Technology Reimaged.”

Let’s talk

Contact your MicroAge Account Executive here or at (800) 544-8877 to learn how our Managed Security Services can protect you.