CISO Checklist: How to Avoid Top Mistakes

One of the hardest and most complex jobs in technology is being a chief information security officer (CISO). Not only are you concerned with the macro issue of keeping your company protected from a breach, there are numerous micro-variables like:

• Lack of resources
• Inadequate technologies
• Skill shortages
• Armies of bad guys trying to steal from you
• Compliance and regulatory requirements

It’s not for the faint of heart, but a lot of CISOs do well with what they have available; they are passionate, personally vested and really want to improve the security wherever they work. Sometimes they feel like they are on an island, and because of that, they sometimes make mistakes. The end result? Burnout and the quest for “greener pastures”. According to industry analyst Gartner, only 12% of CISOs are considered highly effective.

Below we’ve outlined three of the top mistakes that we see CISOs consistently make. These mistakes prevent many of them from moving their program forward, achieving the results they want and ultimately making enough progress to make them want to stay around and finish the job. Hopefully, you’ll take away some tips and recommended actions to improve your effectiveness, the efficiency of your security program and business outcomes. In the end, we just want to help you be successful and improve your security program.