The CISO: Guardian of Data while Navigating Risk Strategic Insights for the Boardroom and Shaping Future Business

CISOs have one of the most vital roles in organizations today. It is also one of the most challenging. That’s because, regardless of industry or location, organizational data has become a precious asset. Protecting that asset is a strategic imperative that carries significant and long-lasting consequences.

As a CISO, you must elevate your organization’s data security posture. In turn, that safeguards data, achieves compliance, and bolsters operational efficiencies. Beyond those “operational” benefits, a strong data security posture also deepens customer trust, builds resilience, and improves business outcomes like revenue and loyalty. In other words, data security—and thus your role as CISO—is the lifeline to your organization’s future. As a result, data security is a serious matter for your board of directors, mandating you get their buy-in and oversight.

At the same time, data estates are sprawling, cyber vulnerabilities are skyrocketing, and no one is immune to increasing cyber risks. Deloitte reports that 91% of organizations report at least one cyber incident or breach. Leading CISOs are adopting a data-first, layered defense model to achieve maximum levels of security, compliance, and resilience as organizations pivot to embrace proactive versus reactive approaches to mitigate risks. CISOs must navigate this increasingly complex and high-stakes environment and prepare for boardroom discussions. Our newly published CISO guide outlines the five key tenets to help CISOs do just that. Here’s a quick primer.

1. Enforce Compliance and Audit-Readiness

Step one in your security journey is to demonstrate regulatory compliance via automated policies and controls—such as encryption, access controls, rights management, and anonymization. A 2024 Thales report found a high corre

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