Intelligent CISO Issue 15 | Page 65

It’s all too easy to fixate on technology as the best way to protect an organisation but in reality, it’s employees who play the biggest role in keeping hostile actors out. knowledge and understanding, strong interpersonal skills and effective management technique. Unfortunately, there tends to be very few individuals out there that boast all of these skills ‘off the rack’. It’s more typical to find candidates that are strong in two areas but perhaps require additional training in the third area. While this doesn’t prevent them from taking up a role as a CISO, it’s imperative that they know their own limitations and take steps to mitigate them as quickly as possible. of the fastest evolving industries out there and failing to keep pace with it can have significant consequences, so regular due diligence like this should not be considered optional. Knowing your own shortcomings (and doing something about them) Top CISO candidates have a unique blend of expert technical www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 15 There are many ways they can do this, including enrolment in suitable training courses as well as surrounding themselves with a strong team of individuals that can compensate for any areas of personal deficiency with expert knowledge of their own. A strong team also helps to share the workload, reducing the pressure on the CISO and preventing them from becoming a bottleneck within the organisation. CISOs don’t have it easy. With so much pressure on their shoulders to protect their organisation from the bewildering number of different attacks out there The most effective CISOs take the time to regularly think about every aspect of organisational security, not just the big-ticket items and the latest technology solutions out there. today, it’s no wonder some end up with tunnel vision. However, this is almost always to the detriment of overall security posture. The most effective CISOs take the time to regularly think about every aspect of organisational security, not just the big- ticket items and the latest technology solutions out there. This article highlights four such areas that with a small amount of attention can have a big impact on security. u 65