Three-quarters of CISOs considering a job change
A new report from IANS Research and recruitment firm Artico Search shows that although 64 percent of CISOs say they are satisfied in their job, 75 percent are open to a change.
More than 660 chief information security officers (CISOs) provided data for the report. Additionally, research team members held conversations with over 100 CISOs to better understand the challenges they face today and the future opportunities.
Despite the higher profile of information security at C-Level, CISOs are struggle to be viewed as top-tier management, and the role is frequently not part of the senior leadership team. Only 20 percent of all CISOs and 15 percent of public company CISOs are regarded as C-Level executives, and just 50 percent engage with the Board quarterly. CISOs with Board access are more optimistic about budget and risk alignment though. Only 28 percent without Board engagement are satisfied versus 57 percent with at least infrequent or ad hoc Board contact.
In addition 85 percent of CISOs surveyed say their board should offer clear guidance on their organization’s risk tolerance for the CISO to act on. However, just 36 percent say that this is the case.
"We see CISO satisfaction positively correlated with access and influence at the board level," says Steve Martano, a partner in Artico Search's cybersecurity practice and IANS Faculty member, "CISOs with a strong rapport with their boards feel more valued and generally report they are 'heard', even when there are disagreements on budgeting."
On the road to becoming a CISO the two most common career paths are technical, and risk and compliance -- although some CISOs have crossed over during their formative years. The report shows CISOs with a tech background tend to earn more than risk/compliance CISOs.
The full report is available from the IANS site.
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