Obstacles Facing Chief Information Security Officers in the Year 2025

Obstacles Facing Chief Information Security Officers in the Year 2025

In today's digital landscape, the role of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has become increasingly crucial, yet challenging. According to Steve Cobb, CISO at SecurityScorecard, CISOs who struggle to communicate with the board should tell a story that explains how their challenges translate to business risk.

Nick Kakolowski, senior research director at IANS, has identified two main cohorts of CISOs: those who are underappreciated and those who are overburdened. The majority of CISOs have a scope that includes identity and access management, application security, and cloud security. However, an increasing number are now covering emerging domains such as AI, M&A security, data governance, comprehensive IT oversight, digital transformation, and innovation.

The CISO role varies significantly across organisations, but it is not without its challenges. CISOs are often responsible for infosec domains, including security operations, architecture and engineering, governance, digital risk, and compliance. Scope creep is a significant issue, with nine in ten CISOs being responsible for these domains.

To effectively communicate with the board and manage their responsibilities to avoid burnout while ensuring strategic influence, CISOs should focus on several key approaches.

1. Speak the Board’s Language by Framing Cybersecurity in Business Terms: CISOs must translate technical cybersecurity concepts into business impacts that resonate with board members. This means focusing on how cybersecurity risks affect business outcomes such as ROI, regulatory compliance, competitive advantage, and operational continuity.

2. Position Cybersecurity as a Strategic Business Enabler: Present cybersecurity as a balance between opportunities and risks, contributing to long-term sustainable success. CISOs should demonstrate foresight by identifying emerging risks and preparing the organisation to address them before they materialize.

3. Foster a Strong Cybersecurity Culture Across the Organisation: Since culture starts at the top, CISOs should work closely with the board and executive teams to prioritise and fund cybersecurity initiatives and build a pervasive security culture.

4. Embrace Servant Leadership and Collaborate Across Teams: Modern CISOs succeed by serving their organisations — supporting business goals and enabling other departments rather than imposing purely technical controls.

5. Manage the Role Proactively to Avoid Burnout: The CISO role is demanding, balancing high responsibility with the constant threat landscape. To avoid burnout, CISOs should delegate and empower their teams appropriately, prioritise initiatives aligned with business goals, secure adequate budget and organisational support, and maintain open communication with the board about challenges and realistic expectations.

6. Utilize Data-Driven Reporting and Avoid “Sugarcoating”: Accurate, transparent reporting of risks and security posture to the board builds credibility. CISOs should use data and metrics meaningful to business leaders to make the case for investments and resource allocation.

In an environment where the talent shortage continues to stretch on, and vendors are raising prices, these strategies can help CISOs maintain strategic influence, secure necessary resources, and manage their demanding role sustainably through effective communication and leadership.

1. CISOs should articulate cloud security, cybersecurity, and other infosec matters in terms that the board understands, framing them as business risks that can impact ROI, regulatory compliance, competitive advantage, and operational continuity.
2. To position cybersecurity as a strategic business enabler, CISOs should demonstrate foresight in identifying emerging risks, such as those related to AI, M&A security, data governance, and digital transformation, and prepare the organization to address these before they materialize.
3. To foster a strong cybersecurity culture across the organization, CISOs should collaborate closely with the board and executive teams, prioritizing and funding cybersecurity initiatives and building a pervasive security culture that emphasizes privacy, risk management, and security operations.
4. Embracing servant leadership, CISOs should support business goals and enable other departments by delegating and empowering their teams, ensuring a balance between technical controls and the needs of other teams.
5. To manage the role proactively and avoid burnout, CISOs should prioritize initiatives aligned with business goals, secure adequate budget and organizational support, and maintain open communication with the board about challenges and realistic expectations while utilizing data-driven reporting to build credibility and make the case for necessary resources.
6. As the talent shortage persists and prices for resources continue to rise, employing these strategies can help CISOs sustain strategic influence, secure necessary resources, and effectively lead their teams through effective communication, leadership, and encryption practices in the ever-evolving technological landscape.

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