A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), also often known as the director of information security, is responsible for the security of data and information throughout the organization. A CISO develops a security strategy with appropriate protection measures and aligns them with overall business objectives. This professional mediates between IT, security and business areas.
What is the role of a CISO?
In the age of digital transformation, more and more companies are turning to software solutions. This increases efficiency, but also significantly increases the chances of suffering a cyberattack that can cost companies millions.
Luckily, there are already many profiles that are specialised in cybersecurity, including that of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) – the person most responsible for the security of a company’s information and data.
Their role and responsibilities, however, can vary greatly depending on the company and its sector and size. Therefore, placing the CISO in the company’s organisational chart is not easy, as some CISOs report directly to the CEO (only 32% of CISOs according to this study), while the majority are below in the organisational chart.
Struggling to find the right freelancer for your position?
Join freelancermap today and publish your job ad in just minutes!
On the other hand, some CISOs sit on the board of directors while others do not. In general, the larger the company, the more potential risks it takes on and the more vital the role of a CISO is.
In addition to responding to data breaches and other security incidents, a Chief Information Security Officer is tasked with anticipating, assessing, and actively managing new and emerging threats.
What threats and attacks are CISOs most concerned about?
- Email fraud (33%)
- Insider threats (30%)
- Cloud failures or compromises (29%)
- DDoS attacks (29%)
- Supply chain attacks (27%)
- Ransomware attacks (27%)
- Smishing/vishing/phishing (27%)
- Malware (26%)
Source: Cybersecurity: The 2022 Bard Perspective report
A CISO must work with other executives from different departments to align security initiatives with broader business objectives and mitigate the risks posed by various security threats to the organization’s mission and objectives.
What are the responsibilities of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)?
As stated above, CISO responsibilities will vary by organization. Traditionally, though, a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) focuses on developing and leading the information security program. This involves protecting the organization’s assets, applications, systems, and technology while enabling and promoting business outcomes.
Chief Information Security Officer duties may also include conducting employee security awareness training, developing secure business and communication practices, identifying security objectives and metrics, choosing and purchasing security products from vendors, ensuring the company is compliant with regulations from relevant agencies, and enforcing security practices.
Other duties and responsibilities that Chief Information Security Officers perform include ensuring the privacy of the company’s data is secure, managing the cybersecurity incident response team, and conducting electronic discovery and digital forensic investigations.
Responsibilities of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO):
- Develop and execute a comprehensive information security strategy
- Assess threats and vulnerabilities
- Establish security policies and standards
- Design awareness and training programs for staff
- Identify and assess security risks and mitigate them
- Implement technical security measures, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, data encryption, and user access and control policies
- Ensure regulatory compliance in information security matters
- Perform internal and external audits and implement controls to ensure compliance
- Coordinate and respond to information security incidents
- Design and establish a response plan and train a response team
- Establish plans to avoid future similar incidents if they occur
- Control and improve the information security architecture
What does it take to be a CISO?
A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) requires in-depth knowledge of programming and system administration and must also have a thorough understanding of security technology (e.g. DNS, routing, VPN, proxy services, and DDoS mitigation).
Their way of working is characterized by diligence, a keen sense of danger, and quick comprehension.
A CISO must also have good communication skills, as they have an executive profile (C-Suite) and part of their job will be to communicate with other executives and employees of the company. They will also need to be a leader to manage the company’s information security team.
The CISO has to be able to explain technical problems far beyond technical language. In this job, it is important to motivate employees and make them aware of the dangers. The requirements profile is complemented by organizational talent, resilience, and good time management.
What skills should a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) have?
- Strong technical knowledge in information security and information technology
- Understanding of operating systems, networks, databases, and other technologies
- Knowledge of cybersecurity, the latest threats, and trends in the field of IT security
- Needs to stay up to date with the latest attacks, vulnerabilities, and security best practices
- Experience in risk assessment and taking measures to mitigate them
- Project management experience to plan, execute, and monitor complete information security projects
- Strategic thinking to make decisions based on the company’s vision and objectives
- Leadership and communication skills
- Knowledge of legal and ethical standards in information security (GDPR or ISO 27001)
- Responsibility and ethics to ensure the confidentiality of information
Seeking a Information Security Officer?
Conect with an experienced CISO to protect your company
What do you need to study to become a Chief Information Security Officer?
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology or a related field is usually required, as these provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of technology and information security.
But since this is a senior profile, several years of experience is also required (usually at least 7 years). This experience will provide you with deep and practical technical knowledge in key areas such as network security, application security, risk management, cryptography, etc.
You will also need knowledge in business management, project management and decision making. To do this, it is common for IT professionals to take courses or training in project management or even an MBA.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) needs to be constantly updated. With digitalisation, new threats continue to emerge (for example, phishing, email fraud or social engineering) that require new technical protection measures from companies. To do this, it is important to participate in conferences, train with courses and seminars and read new publications specialising in information security.
Master’s degrees and certifications in cybersecurity are also increasingly in demand.
What certifications should a CISO have?
Although there is no mandatory certifications to be a Chief Information Security Officer, there are several recognized certifications within the cybersecurity and information security industry.
Some companies will use these certifications to consider whether a candidate is qualified for the position or not. Some of the most popular certifications for a CISO are:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): This is one of the most recognized and respected certifications in the information security field. It covers a wide range of topics, such as risk management, network security, application security, and cryptography.
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM): This certification focuses on information security management in the corporate context. It covers topics such as information security governance, risk management, and developing policies and procedures.
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA): This certification focuses on auditing information systems and assessing security controls. It covers topics such as IT auditing, risk management, and IT governance.
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH): This certification focuses on the skills and techniques used by ethical hackers to identify and fix security vulnerabilities. It explores the techniques used by attackers and how to mitigate them.
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP): This certification is focused on information security in the cloud environment. It covers specific topics related to cloud security, such as risk management, cloud services, and cloud data security.
- ISO 27001 Lead Auditor: This certification focuses on information security management according to the ISO 27001 standards. It provides knowledge on how to implement and audit an information security management system.
As with all niches, there are also many resources, masterclasses, and online courses with which you can delve into this role of Chief Information Security Officer. Here are some options:
- CISO Masterclass – Udemy
- Mastering Kali Linux for Ethical Hackers – Udemy
- Ultimate Chief Information Security Officer – CISO Course
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Salary
A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is a highly paid professional per their responsibilities and their experience in similar roles and senior position in the company.
How much does a CISO earn in the United States? The salary of the Chief Information Security Officer ranges between $240,000 and $450,000/year on average.
In Germany, the salary for this job is around €112,000 – €165,000 per year whereas in Spain, it is around €75,000 – €201,000 per annual year.
In the UK, a CISO can expect a salary of around £82,000 – £142,000 per annual year.
Salary fluctuations can be explained by the size of the company, industry, region, individual professional experience and qualifications, as well as negotiation skills.
How much does a CISO earn?
| US | $240,000 – $450,000 |
| Germany | €112,000 – €165,000 |
| Spain | €75,000 – €201,000 |
| UK | £82,000 – £142,000 |
What is a Fractional CISO?
A fractional CISO, also known as a part-time CISO, freelance CISO, or interim CISO, is an information security professional who provides consulting and advisory services on a part-time or temporary basis to companies.
Rather than occupying the position of a full-time CISO within an organization, a fractional or interim CISO can be hired externally and work flexible hours depending on the needs of the company.
The main advantage of hiring a fractional CISO is that companies can access the knowledge and experience of a CISO without having to maintain a full-time position.
As we have already seen, maintaining a permanent position for a CISO is not cheap and above all, smaller companies may not have the resources to cover these costs. However, they too need to focus on information security.
Among the services and responsibilities of a fractional CISO or external CISO are:
- Provide strategic advice on information security
- Develop and implement security policies and procedures
- Perform security assessments and audits
- Design and supervise security awareness and training programs for workers
- Manage security incidents
Are you looking for a CISO?
> 300+ experienced CISO available <
How much does a freelance or external CISO charge?
CISOs on freelancermap charge on average:
Rates in the CISO Industry range between $40 and $96/hour for most freelancers.
The daily rate for CISOs (8 working hours) would be around:
💡 Don’t forget that a freelance external CISO may be working with other companies, and their availability may be limited. To avoid misunderstandings, companies should set goals, expectations and agreements before starting work.
Need help? 📖 Check these tips on how to work with freelancers
