Cybersecurity is very important for all company that use cloud environment. And to make sure the cybersecurity goes to the right direction and mature cybersecurity heads and CISO is needed. These roles are important for the growth of the company’s cybersecurity.
What are Cybersecurity Heads and CISO?
Cybersecurity Heads and CISO are executive level roles with responsibilities to manage the company’s cybersecurity posture. So, you will need to create the ideal governance and security policies that suitable with the company’s goal. You will also manage the framework risk especially in cloud environment that is prone to risk.
Since this role is very essential you are not only need to have the right background and technical knowledge about the company but you also need to fully understand the threat and challenges that the industry has in cybersecurity.
Especially since you need to evaluate the threat and assign suitable resource that can help to tackle the challenge. Thus, in a way, you will have multiple responsibilities and roles depending on the industry and the size of the company.
Job Responsibilities and Duties Cybersecurity Heads and CISO
This role has huge responsibilities that goes beyond any of the standard roles in cybersecurity. Especially since you are responsible to manage cybersecurity in different department of the company. Some of the responsibility includes:
Cybersecurity
As someone with head role, you need to have leadership inside when it comes to the strategy done on cybersecurity. You also need to be able to provide actionable solution that can easily be applied and suitable with the industry the company is in.
If cyberattack or other security threat happen then your role is to be in the forefront to lead the team. You will guide various team from different department in the company and give them insights and strategies that are cost effective to manage the crisis.
IT cybersecurity
For this area, you need to give substantial input on the design, proposal, implementation as well as the approval of any of the security strategy taken by the company. You need to make sure that the strategy implemented is suitable data security in end-to-end operation which includes:
- Evaluating overall IT risk management and infrastructure
- Making security policies that can help to minimize vulnerabilities and potential threats.
- Audit and coordinate certification and compliance requirements
Compliance
When it comes to compliance you should be able to create cybersecurity policies and strategies that allows the company to quickly adapt any changes in the regulation. It is very important for the company to comply with different kinds of regulations.
Especially GDPR where the requirement is very hard and have costly penalties. You should carefully create the requirement so all stakeholders can see it. You should also make information security that can help the company to comply with any change on the regulation.
HR management
It is proven by research that more than half cybersecurity and data breaches happened because of employee’s incompetence and laxity. That is why you as the head of the cybersecurity need to create a strong system that can help to minimize cyberattack that caused by human error as well as the overall impact for cybersecurity posture.
One of your tasks is to create unbiased and effective criteria that can be used for research and having cybersecurity team that proficient and knowledgeable in mitigating risk. To achieve it, you might need to do a few things such as:
- Perform verification check on job candidates and applicant
- Perform training program for cybersecurity on new team at orientation
- Making policies for access control and identity
- Business Continuity and Disaster Management
You must create and implement strategies that can be use to counter cyberattack. The strategy should have more than prevention, detection as well as containing any security attack potential.
You should focus more to accelerate the recovery of cloud environment after the impact of the setback from security risk. Thus, you need to make a plan for business continuity, communication strategy, disaster recovery and crisis management.
Documentation
As cybersecurity heads and CISO you will document various security policies that relevant for different areas such as compliance, governance, incident management and preventative strategies, HR and management.
Then the member of security department and the manager will use those documentation when implementing cybersecurity policies and practices when they respond to any business incident that is related to the cybersecurity. So, as the leader you should make sure that all of the documentation follows the latest policies and stay up-to-date.
Program Onboarding
You should know that any security initiative that you do requires significant human resources and finance that can cause conflicts within the company’s stakeholder who have different goals in mind.
So, your responsibilities are evaluation any business opportunities that come then compare them to see the cybersecurity risk that may come and affect the company’s returns and stability.
Budgeting management
As someone that create various security initiatives for the company, you should also make sure that the initiative you took actually worth the investment for both finance and human resource used in the process.
Read More 12 Best Career In Cybersecurity With High Demand In 2023
Job Qualifications Cybersecurity Heads and CISO
Education
To take the role you need to have bachelor degree in related field such as information security or cybersecurity. If you have IT degree for your bachelor then you need to get courses that are related to cybersecurity for the undergraduate program. Most company search for candidate with master degree for this position.
Certification
Besides getting your degree, you should also get several certifications that can help to broaden knowledge as well as show your competencies in the field. It will increase your opportunity being hired and promoted in the future. Some of the certifications that you need are:
- PenTest+ Certification
- CCSP Certification
- Project+ Certification
- SSCP Certification
- Security+ Certification
- CES Certification
- Cybersecurity Analyst Certification
- A+ Certification
- NVAP Certification
- Network+ Certification
- SAP Certification
- IT Operations Certification
- NSP Certification
- SIS Certification
- ITIL Foundation Certification
- Experience
Before you are considered for the role you need to have at least five years of experience in cybersecurity field. You can start by working in IT company while studying or getting internship for entry level cybersecurity role.
Skills Requirements
To be cybersecurity heads and CISO there are a few skills that you need to acquire. Some of these skills will come as your experience in the field grow. So, it is important to build the right skills while you take your steps toward this position.
- Security standard
You need to have deep knowledge on various security standard and best practice so can determine how the process and the system measured up. You also need to know about various cybersecurity regulations and laws.
- Business operation
You need to have knowledge about the way a business operates as well as how that method impact on the cybersecurity. You also need to know how the cybersecurity decision that you made will impact the operation and the way the stakeholders will prioritize business.
- Risk analysis
You need to be able to analyze various business decision to find the cybersecurity risk behind it. You also need to evaluate then create report on the new system and business and how it will fit into the current cybersecurity system used.
- Cybersecurity system
While doing your job, you will work together with expert on cybersecurity and have discussion with the stakeholders and managers. Thus, you need to have deep knowledge on the capabilities of the system, the direction of the technology as well as the changes that might happen in the system.
- Problem solving
You may encounter various cybersecurity challenge in your career and you should be able to handle it with consideration and care. You also need to be able to analyze its problem then create solution that effective to handle the situation before any issue comes.
- Communication
You need to be able to communicate with other managers and team member when completing a project. You should also able to create report on any cybersecurity issue that you found in a way that is suitable for the audience who may or may not have the right technical knowledge.
- Decision making
You need to be able to absorb conflicting and complex information that can be useful when making business decision. Your decision should take different consideration factors. It should also represent different need of the staff, stakeholder as well as the consumer.
- Leadership
In this role you need to manage a professional team thus you need to have leadership that can adapt to different team member with their individuality. You also need to know the method that can be use to oversee policy, budgets and project implementation.
Conclusion
As you can see cybersecurity heads and CISO comes with big responsibilities which is why the qualification for this role also more complicated than the other role. As the journey toward this career is long, you need to take the right steps if you want to get the role. So, make sure you read the general requirements and try to fulfill them one and one as you enter the cybersecurity field.
Description: Cybersecurity Heads and CISO are executive level roles with responsibilities to manage the company’s cybersecurity posture, learn here.
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