Chief Information Security Officer

Chief Information Security Officer
CISO Career Resource Guide

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The information technology (IT) industry has revolutionized the way organizations use and depend on IT. In recent years the rapid expansion of the Internet and its impact on how companies conduct business, has brought new benefits including an acceleration of communications, but also created a new set security and privacy issues.

Today, companies are confronted with internal and external sources of security and privacy risks. Issues such as the protection of consumer data, privacy concerns, and regulatory compliance have created complex problems for organizations to address.

The advent of this focus on information security has created a new need within the IT industry. IT professionals with strong understanding of business, technology, and security are very much in-demand in the job marketplace. One of the more interesting roles at the pinnacle of the profession is the role of Chief Information Security Officer, commonly referred to as CISO.

What is the definition of the role of a Chief Information Security Officer or CISO?

Although there are several common industry definitions of the role and responsibilities of a CISO, this job title should not be confused with the title of Chief Security Officer (CSO). In most organizations you will find that issues such as physical security, business continuity planning, and general risk management more typically responsibilities of a CSO.

A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is typically a top level management executive in an organization who is charged with providing to the executive leadership, guidance in the subject of IT security and IT risk management. It is common for a CISO in this role to report to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) who is in charge of the information technology organization or to a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who provides the organization with leadership in the area of technology.

Please visit our career path section of this web site to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

This career resource guide is published as a public service announcement (PSA), free of charge, to the online community by Jaime Chanaga, CISSP, CISA and his firm The CSO Board LLC. This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author and is designed to provide useful advice and formats to the reader on the subject matter covered. Any references to products or services in that pursuit do not constitute or imply an endorsement or recommendation. The publisher and author specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk (financial, personal, or otherwise) which may be claimed or incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and/or application of any of the contents of this publication. The publisher does not attest to the validity, accuracy, or completeness of this information. Use of a term in this publication should not be regarded as affecting validity of any trademark or service mark.