02 Mar The biggest challenges CISO officers face right now

3 big challenges for the modern CISO leader

Tasked with securing the network and business infrastructure of their IT teams, CISO and chief security leaders deal with problems on a routine basis. The vast expansion of IT infrastructure combined with the growth of threat actor resources puts us in a new era of cyber threats. Agility and versatility are the key traits of an effective CISO officer, requiring nuanced decisions for complex scenarios. But what top challenges do they face? What stresses of the cybersecurity world keep them up at night?

Asset Management

While the expansion of remote services and infrastructure models kept businesses afloat during the height of the COVID pandemic, it also generated an ocean of vulnerabilities.

Having total management and asset visibility – the network and all its devices – has proven a constant challenge, even before the pandemic and expansion of remote resources. Scale is one of the key issues. There are numerous devices, apps, and software suites using internet connections to perform services. How can you assure each of these “nodes” is secure from intrusion?

Furthermore, as an enterprise expands, it adds new resources, apps, and software, which add to the “cybersecurity equation.” This is to say nothing of the human element leading to potential errors or missteps. Therefore, visibility and oversight of network activity continue to remain a constant challenge for CISO officers.

Talent Retention

A massive pain point felt in every IT-centric industry is a lack of expert staff. From cybersecurity, network management, and IT resolution, there’s still a shortage of skilled workers to meet the demands of modern digital infrastructure.

Furthermore, businesses are not only pressed to find IT talent, but it’s also retaining them too. The modern market promotes shifting positions, and workers always seek better pay and benefits. In the IT realm, veterans and experts are invaluable. They offer insight and leverage their experience to combat the unique array of malware threats we face on a daily basis.

The importance of well-trained IT staff cannot be overstated. The need to update, maintain, and acquire new forms of technology, no matter how small, is important to the survival of any enterprise. From updating legacy systems to monitoring update requirements for current software, the various tiers of IT infrastructure need experts to keep it secure and running smoothly. But again, CISO officers and management leads face the challenge of keeping staff for the long term, meaning they constantly cycle in new staff. Or, they lose out on experts entirely.

Risk Assessment and Regulatory Requirements

While new tech, apps, and software assure momentum in the productivity sector, they’re also a potential source of risk acquisition. In other words, CISO leaders are challenged with assessing their overall network security whenever new apps or software are introduced into the business architecture. Frictionless apps work in tandem with existing installments, but this isn’t always the case. When that happens, management and staff have to figure out the risks involved with newly integrated software and apps.

Furthermore, unsecured infrastructure runs the risk of regulatory penalties. As we grow further reliant on different technology to handle services, the data involved with said services must be protected. Failing to do so will incur legislative fines.

Staying on top of these requirements while meeting the hurdles we’ve discussed head-on are a handful of problems CISO leaders deal with.

Getting Help

Even the best of them need help. When you’re lacking staff or need scaling resources, consider reaching out to third-party resources for additional assistance.

To learn more, you can contact Bytagig today.

About Bytagig

Bytagig is dedicated to providing reliable, full-scale cyber security and IT support for businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups in a variety of industries. Bytagig works both remotely with on-site support in Portland, San Diego, and Boston. Acting as internal IT staff, Bytagig handles employee desktop setup and support, comprehensive IT systems analysis, IT project management, website design, and more. Bytagig is setting the standard for MSPs by being placed on the Channel Future’s NexGen 101 list.