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The rise of the virtual CISO
The cyber security threat landscape continues to increase in sophistication and well-funded, highly organised and increasingly complex cyber adversaries continue to capitalise on inadequate defence and remediation strategies. Moreover, protecting an enterprise or preparing for current and future threats requires a great deal of expertise, planning and timely and targeted actions. The reality is that the fight against cyber crime has become increasingly challenging.
Irrespective of a companies size or industry, having someone who can establish and facilitate comprehensive, risk-based cyber security strategies and processes that protect critical data and systems is critical.
However, appointing a CISO may be cost-prohibitive for many companies. It can also be difficult to attract and retain individuals with the level of both cyber security and business expertise necessary to fill the role. Instead, many organisations lean on managers to incorporate security into existing IT processes, which often results in fragmented policies and challenges with support and adoption that leave systems and organisations vulnerable.
As an alternative, virtual CISOs are becoming a viable option for many companies that do not have a full-time CISO on staff. This solution often delivers both economic and strategic advantages to businesses.
Companies produce more data than ever, and keeping track of it all is the first step to securing it. A virtual CISO can identify what data needs to be protected and determine the negative impact that compromised data can have, whether that impact is regulatory, financial or reputational.
MD at CyberSec, Nathan Desfontaines, says: “A virtual CISO offers an unbiased, objective view and can sort out the complexity of a company’s IT architecture, applications and services. They can also determine how plans for the future add complexity, identify and account for the corresponding risk, and recommend security measures that will scale to support future demand.”
For many organisations, potential vulnerabilities, especially those that share a great deal of data within the organisation, may not be obvious at first glance. Virtual CISOs can identify both internal and external threats, determine their probability and quantify the impact they could have on your organisation.
An organisation without a great deal of sensitive data may have a much greater tolerance for risk than a healthcare provider or a bank. A virtual CISO can co-ordinate efforts to examine perceived and actual risk, identify critical vulnerabilities and provide a better picture of risk exposure that can inform future decisions.
Cyber security is growing more complex, and organisations of all sizes, especially those in regulated industries, require a cyber security specialist, with both technical and business acumen, who can address the aforementioned challenges and ensure that technology and processes are in place to mitigate and minimise security risks. Virtual CISOs bring a wealth of expertise on regulatory standards. They can implement processes to maintain compliance and offer recommendations based on updates to applicable rules and regulations.
As organisations continue to embrace digital transformation, a virtual CISO represents a viable option to maintain the security posture necessary to succeed while keeping a mindful eye on ever-increasing budgetary concerns.
This article was published to the CyberSec Virtual Press Office at ITWeb