Advancing a cybersecurity program is often an uphill climb, especially when the path forward is unclear and the business value is hard to prove. Too often, the divide between the security team and the business leads to friction, disengagement, or worse: active resistance. Security leaders might find themselves reactively firefighting instead of proactively managing risk, unable to make meaningful progress.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way. When security and business teams work in tandem, both sides can reach new heights. The key lies in forging a shared path that aligns risk reduction and regulatory compliance with operational goals. While the current terrain for many chief information security officers (CISOs) is rocky, a more strategic and integrated approach is within reach.
Hiking an unmarked trail is risky. The same holds true for security programs without a clear path. Progress is possible, but it’s hard to sustain while juggling shifting priorities and limited resources.
Security leaders often face competing demands: operational fires, talent churn, tool sprawl, and fragmented processes. Without a unified strategy and consistent business alignment, programs stall. Trust breaks down, and momentum slips.
To chart a better path forward, organizations must identify and address the common obstacles that slow progress and prevent security from functioning as a business enabler.
Most security programs could benefit from more budget and resources. But organizations must consider other factors that might be throwing them off the trail. Five common pain points include CISO turnover, program recycling, siloed efforts, low adoption, and lack of executive support.
To reach higher ground, security leaders must reorient the way they operate strategically, relationally, and operationally. Following are five strategies leaders can take to regain footing and build lasting impact.
Most major companies have a CISO in place, but far fewer have embraced the BISO, a role designed to embed security into the business, not just beside it. BISOs provide significant value because of their combined deep understanding of a business area’s operations and how security should be appropriately applied to that business area. In short, BISOs can serve as a bridge between security and the business.
BISOs can work within business units to:
By embedding directly in the business, BISOs can translate risk into language that resonates with executives. From a business resiliency standpoint, they can also help identify upstream and downstream dependencies critical to operations. Even without an established BISO role, assigning a security leader with a strong focus on business operations to function as a liaison can help the security team collaborate more effectively throughout the business.
The journey begins with establishing credibility. Business stakeholders often view security as an obstacle to getting work done. However, BISOs can help shift that perception by building trust and showing how a strong security posture can protect business outcomes. They can flip the usual narrative by:
Taking these steps can help nurture mutual interests and improve alignment across the organization. Meeting consistently with business leaders allows security to stay relevant and responsive to changing needs. Trust, once built, creates momentum for cultural change.
Trust grows through repeatable processes and shared understanding. A clearly defined operating model helps security teams scale while creating continuity across leaders and teams.
A consistent framework should include:
Such a framework offers a repeatable methodology that allows teams to respond quickly and avoid reinventing core elements when personnel change.
An operational calendar supports long-term consistency, resilience, and transparency. Unlike personal work calendars, this road map tracks major security activities and milestones across the organization.
This calendar should include:
The operational calendar acts as a living document, and regular updates can help ensure its relevance. During transitions, this calendar can become a record of progress that enables new leaders to pick up the trail instead of starting over.
Modern GRC platforms provide scale and structure, but only if they’re well implemented and consistently used. When integrated effectively, they help security teams prioritize and automate key processes.
Teams should focus on:
GRC technology alone won’t mature a program. However, when paired with clear processes and adoption strategies, it can serve as a powerful force multiplier.
Security should no longer be viewed as a drag on innovation or an isolated cost center. With the right strategy, structure, and stakeholder relationships, business and security teams can scale to new heights and help the organization reach its goals while reducing risk.
The BISO role, operational calendars, and a scalable, well-implemented GRC technology platform are just a few ways to traverse this terrain, but the destination is the same: embedded, business-aligned security that enables transformation.