The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is responsible for creating and enforcing a security posture for a business, including protecting the IT infrastructure and proprietary information. They may also be involved in privacy and fraud prevention and report to a senior member of the c-suite. In some cases, the CISO may also be responsible for physical security and be referred to as the Chief Security Officer (CSO).
Within a corporation, the individual responsible for protecting the business’s digital information infrastructure is commonly known as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). It is usually up to this professional to create and enforce a security posture for the business. This can range from procedures for handling confidential information to the methods by which the digital infrastructure is protected. As part of the corporate c-suite of directors, the chief information security officer typically functions at a senior level and may be responsible for multiple information security officers.
A chief information security officer’s primary responsibility is typically to protect the integrity of the information technology (IT) infrastructure and any proprietary information of the company. This can start with physical and software solutions such as firewalls, but often extends to the personnel as well. The CISO will typically establish procedures that must be followed when dealing with privileged or proprietary information to prevent it from falling into the hands of competitors. He may also be responsible for creating a stance on how to respond if there is a failure in the procedure.
In addition to information security, a CISO may be involved in issues such as privacy and fraud prevention. As these areas are often associated with IT, the CISO will sometimes need to create procedures to prevent fraud and deal with it if it occurs.
Within the typical corporate structure, a chief information security officer usually reports to a senior member of the c-suite. This could be the chief executive officer (CEO), chief operating officer (COO) or another director, depending on the particular company. In some cases, the CISO reports to the head of the legal department, as many information security functions can have direct legal repercussions.
Some companies or small businesses may remove the CISO role responsibilities from the c-suite. Rather than having a corporate director in charge of these security issues, there might be a director or vice president of information security. Their responsibilities are often similar to those of a CISO, simply with a different title and position in the workplace.
In some situations, the CISO is responsible for a company’s physical and information security, in which case it will sometimes be referred to as the chief security officer (CSO). Combining these roles often creates a host of new responsibilities as the CSO must deal with the physical security of business operations, theft, corporate espionage, and other related matters. One of the reasons for combining functions can be the increasing presence of technology in physical security issues, where monitoring devices and other components are often linked to the IT infrastructure.
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