Cybersecurity Is No Longer The Sole Responsibility Of IT Specialists

Uploaded on 2023-03-14 in NEWS-News Analysis, FREE TO VIEW

While cybersecurity used to be a topic and responsibility reserved only for the IT team, we’re seeing the industry shift to a mindset of collective resilience. One where the entire company has a role to play when it comes to cybersecurity and the weight of cyber risk or even a data breach doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of the CISO.

While there’s still a lot to be done, there are positive steps being made towards more cross-industry collaboration, less pressure on the role of the CISO, and an opportunity not only for cybersecurity vendors to increase their business, but also for employees across the globe to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the importance of cybersecurity.

Rebalancing Responsibility

Given the rising frequency of cyber-attacks around the globe, it’s not surprising to see a move to strengthen overall resilience. Cybersecurity is relevant to all industries, all businesses and all job roles, so business-wide resilience has to be a top priority. Despite challenges, the private and public sector are working to spread the burden of cybersecurity, both through education and awareness, as well as regulations and policies.

The latest example of this is the new US National Cybersecurity Strategy from the Biden-Harris Administration, which plans to focus on “rebalancing the responsibility to defend cyberspace” and taking the burden away from individuals and small businesses. Although the implementation of these plans is not yet clear and there’s no certainty on what will change, the release of the strategy has prompted discussion around how to handle liability when it comes to a cyberattack.

Preventing Burnout

It’s well-known in the industry that CISOs are among those with the most high pressure jobs, and that the result often leads to burnout. A 2022 survey highlighted stress and burnout as the most significant personal risks CISOs are facing in their role.

Whilst CISOs will always have a responsibility for the cybersecurity of their business, organisations are engaging in cybersecurity more on the whole meaning there’s better understanding from the C-Level - with Accenture’s latest State of Cybersecurity report stating that 70% of organisations include cybersecurity as an item for discussion in every board meeting - as well as employees across all departments.

The relationship between the CISO and the Board and leadership team impacts the overall approach to cybersecurity from the entire company. For example, the same Accenture report noted that CISOs in a group dubbed “Cyber Champions” were more likely to report to the CEO and the Board as well as have a far closer relationship with the CFO. What’s more, when it comes to budget authorisation, only 19% of those “Cyber Champions” had their budgets authorised by the CEO or the Board, meaning the majority had autonomy over what they spend their budget on.

With increased recognition that cybersecurity is not the sole responsibility of one person or one team, we’ll hopefully continue to see the burden on CISOs reduced as well as more involvement and ownership from other senior leaders.

The Opportunity For The Industry

As we see more businesses take note of cybersecurity, it’s likely there’ll also be a broader impact on other businesses in the market, including vendors.

With the current economic and cost of living crisis, purse strings are being tightened across organisations, however with awareness of the impact a cyber-attack or data breach can have on a business, and the relationship between CISOs and the C-Level getting stronger, it’s likely we’ll see more budget going towards cybersecurity solutions, with an emphasis on those that augment the job of the security team, as well as those that educate the wider business.

On the whole, a continued path to collective resilience spreading responsibility for cybersecurity is a positive sign for the industry. However, as hackers become evermore sophisticated and the frequency of cyber-attacks continues, it’ll be vital that cyber strategies remain agile and continue to adapt to an ever-changing threat landscape and that everybody knows what role to play.

Emily Quick is Account Director and cybersecurity specialist at The PHA Group

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