Retail CISOs Take on More Risk to Foster Innovation

Chief information security officers (CISOs) have long borne the reputation of blocking innovation to keep their organization and all its data safe and sound.

However, those competing priorities appear to be shifting, especially in the retail and consumer sectors. While the majority of CISOs (59%) across all sectors see themselves as "enablers" — as opposed to just managers of cyber-risk — nearly all (97%) CISOs in the retail segment view their role as an enabler, according to a survey of more than 1,000 global CISOs conducted by cybersecurity firm Netskope. As a result, CISOs' acceptance of risk has grown, with the majority of all CISOs ready to take on more risk compared with five years ago. For the retail sector, the share of risk-embracing CISOs is even higher (74%).

The pressure on companies to innovate — and CISOs' understanding of their role in making that happen — are driving CISOs to become risk-takers, Netskope CISO James Robinson says.

"Typically, you had someone who was really, really technical, and they were working through things, but they really didn't have that business side of the brain — knowing the business metrics and data," he says. "CISOs have moved from the need to say no and maybe even taken it a step further — saying the answer is always, "Yes, just how do we get there?'"

Related:ITPro Today’s 2024 IT Priorities Report

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