What is a CISO (chief information security officer)?

Why is the CISO role critical to enterprise strategy?

The CISO's role has evolved from a purely technical function to a critical, strategic leadership position that's indispensable to an enterprise's success. In today's interconnected and digitally driven world, cybersecurity challenges affect core business objectives, making the CISO a vital partner in shaping and executing enterprise strategy. There are several reasons why the CISO role and responsibilities are critical to enterprise strategy.

Safeguarding business continuity and resilience

Cyberattacks, such as ransomware and data breaches, are among the top causes of business disruption. The CISO is central to ensuring an organization's ability to withstand and recover from such events.

The following are some ways CISOs safeguard business continuity and resilience:

• Proactive risk management. CISOs develop and implement security strategies that identify, assess and mitigate cyber-risks before they can cause significant disruption. Their risk management includes creating strong defense mechanisms and proactive threat intelligence programs.
• Incident response and disaster recovery. The CISO leads the development, testing and execution of comprehensive incident response plans and disaster recovery protocols. Their expertise ensures rapid detection, containment and recovery from cyberincidents, minimizing downtime and protecting critical operations. According to IBM's "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024," the breach detection and containment statistics present a critical challenge. On average, it took organizations 204 days to identify a breach and an additional 73 days to contain it. The CISO's role is to significantly reduce these timeframes, lessening the severity and cost of a disruption.
• Operational resilience. By embedding security into all aspects of the business, CISOs help build a resilient organization that continues to operate effectively even in the face of cyberthreats.

Building and managing investor confidence

In an era of increasing cybercrime and regulatory scrutiny, a strong cybersecurity posture is a significant factor in investor trust and market valuation. The following are some ways CISOs build and manage investor confidence:

• Reputation protection. Major data breaches can severely damage a company's reputation, leading to customer churn, loss of brand loyalty and a decline in market value. The CISO's role in preventing and effectively managing breaches directly protects the company's public image and stakeholder trust.
• Regulatory compliance and avoidance of fines. A CISO ensures that their organization adheres to a complex set of data protection laws and industry regulations, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure requirements. Noncompliance can result in hefty fines, legal action and a significant blow to investor confidence. Regulations from bodies such as the SEC mandate timely reporting of material cybersecurity incidents and enhanced board of directors and executive cybersecurity oversight of strategy. This puts the CISO firmly in the spotlight for investor communications.
• Transparency and accountability. A CISO provides clear, quantifiable reports on the organization's security posture to its executives, demonstrating accountability and providing the transparency investors increasingly demand. CISO-board communication is a particularly strategic part of the job.

Enabling secure digital transformation

Digital transformation initiatives, involving cloud adoption, internet of things, AI and new digital products, are critical for business growth. However, they also introduce new attack vectors and complexities.

The CISO supports these initiatives, using the following strategies:

• Security by design. CISOs make sure that security is integrated from the beginning of new projects and product development, rather than being an afterthought. This proactive approach prevents costly security flaws and delays down the line.
• Strategic technology adoption. CISOs guide the secure adoption of new technologies, assessing risks, implementing appropriate controls and ensuring that innovation proceeds without exposing the organization to unnecessary vulnerabilities.
• Balancing security and agility. The modern CISO understands the need to balance stringent security controls with enterprise agility. They work to implement security frameworks that enable, rather than hinder, rapid development and deployment.
• Competitive advantage. Organizations with strong, secure digital infrastructure gain a competitive edge by attracting customers and partners who prioritize data protection. According to a PwC survey, 57% of organizations cite customer trust and 49% cite brand integrity and loyalty as primary drivers for investing in cybersecurity, viewing it as a key competitive differentiator. This underscores how cybersecurity, led by the CISO, contributes to business growth, positioning it as a value driver rather than just a cost center.

What does a CISO do?

In addition to responding to data breaches and other security incidents, the CISO is tasked with anticipating, assessing and actively managing new and potential cyberthreats. The CISO must work with other executives across different departments to align security initiatives with broader business objectives and mitigate the security risks various threats pose to the organization's mission and goals.

The chief information security officer's roles and responsibilities include the following:

• Conducting employee security awareness training.
• Developing secure business and communication practices.
• Identifying security objectives and metrics.
• Choosing and purchasing security products from vendors.
• Ensuring that the company is in regulatory compliance with the rules of relevant bodies.
• Enforcing adherence to data security practices.
• Ensuring the company's data privacy is secure.
• Managing the computer security incident response team.
• Conducting electronic discovery and digital forensic investigations.
• Developing cyber-resilience and disaster recovery plans.
• Determining if security strategies are worth the investment financially.
• Translating complex technical risks into business language for executive and board audiences.
• Providing regular updates on threat posture, risk exposure and mitigation efforts.
• Establishing frameworks to manage the risks of generative AI, machine learning models and data misuse.
• Collaborating with data science teams to implement responsible AI practices.
• Partnering with legal, HR, compliance, IT and operations to integrate security into business processes.
• Aligning cybersecurity priorities with digital transformation, product development and customer experience.

While traditionally focused on technical defenses, the modern CISO role has expanded dramatically, requiring cross-functional leadership, strategic vision and strong CISO business alignment across the organization. The modern CISO isn't just a technical guardian, they're also a strategic business leader. As cyberthreats become more sophisticated and digital transformation accelerates, CISOs are expected to do the following:

• Influence enterprise strategy and investment decisions.
• Contribute to revenue protection and brand trust.
• Take ownership of emerging risk domains such as AI; environmental, social and governance initiatives; and data ethics.
• Operate with board-level visibility and accountability.

CISO qualifications and certifications

While there's no single must-have path to becoming a CISO, most organizations expect a strong combination of formal education, extensive hands-on experience and relevant industry certifications. The following is an overview of what it takes to become a CISO, including skills, qualifications, certifications and real-world insights:

What skills should a CISO have?

A CISO is typically a skilled leader and manager with a strong understanding of IT and security, who can communicate complicated security concepts to both technical and nontechnical employees. CISOs also have experience in risk management and auditing. The following are some essential skills that every CISO should possess:

• Technical expertise. This is in network, systems, cloud, application security, incident response and threat hunting.
• Strategic thinking. This is done to align cybersecurity initiatives with business objectives and long-term goals.
• Risk management. This includes identification, assessment and mitigation of security risks.
• Regulatory compliance. This covers knowledge of standards.
• Governance and policy development. An important skill area to establish and enforce security frameworks and protocols.
• Crisis management. This skill is needed to effectively handle and communicate during security incidents.
• Leadership and team management. This includes building, mentoring and leading cross-functional security teams.
• Communication skills. This is the ability to articulate complex security issues to nontechnical stakeholders and executives.
• Business acumen. This is needed to understand organizational goals and integrate security strategies accordingly.
• Continuous learning. This is required to stay updated with emerging threats, technologies and best practices.
• Data storytelling. This is to transform complex security data into compelling narratives that resonate with stakeholders.
• Board engagement. This is to effectively communicate cybersecurity strategies and risks to the board, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

What qualifications should a CISO have?

Many companies require CISOs to have a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity or IT and advanced degrees in business, computer science or engineering.

The following are common qualifications that CISOs typically possess:

• A bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, IT or related fields is required at a minimum for most CISO positions.
• A master's degree is increasingly preferred, especially for larger organizations with common options including master's in information security, master's in cybersecurity, MBA with technology focus and master's in computer science.
• Doctoral degrees aren't typically required but can be advantageous for research-oriented organizations and academic institutions.
• Becoming a CISO involves gaining hands-on technical experience in various cybersecurity roles for 7 to 15+ years, progressively moving into leadership positions. Common roles include security analyst, security engineer, security architect, incident response lead, security operations center manager and director of information security.

Effective cybersecurity leadership demands more than technical expertise. Due to increasing legal, regulatory and financial risks, CISOs must excel in governance, risk, and compliance, communication and business strategy. As a result, more than 40% of new CISOs, especially those with backgrounds in privacy, compliance and enterprise risk, come from nontechnical fields, according to RH-ISAC and Accenture's "2025 CISO Benchmark Report."

What certifications should a CISO have?

CISOs also typically have relevant certifications, such as those from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Specific certifications include the following:

• EC-Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO)
• CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst Certification.
• CompTIA Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional.
• CompTIA Network Security Professional.
• CompTIA Security Analytics Professional.
• CompTIA IT Operations Specialist.
• GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy & Leadership.
• ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor.
• ISACA Certified Information Security Manager.
• ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control
• ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional.
• ISC2 Certified Cloud Security Professional.
• ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner

What is the salary of a CISO?

The average salary in the U.S. for CISOs varies quite a bit. The average annual salary has ranged between $152,700-$270,000 in 2025.

Glassdoor lists the average U.S. CISO base salary in 2025 at $178,125, with a total median compensation including bonuses of $270,077 and the potential to earn up to $360,130 annually. Salary.com cites the average base salary at $339,489, with a total compensation median of $577,781, including bonuses and benefits. Pay might change based on degrees, certifications, geographical location and time spent in the profession.

With economic uncertainties and tightening security budgets, CISO compensation continues to grow, but at a slower pace than in previous years. Compensation trends show modest base salary increases of 5%-6%, while total compensation growth remains strong due to performance bonuses and equity packages.

Base salaries are expected to grow, fueled by increasing enterprise demand for cybersecurity leadership and talent scarcity. Total compensation for CISOs, especially those with expertise in AI, cloud and zero-trust architectures, might soon reach $600K-$700K, with top performers continuing to surpass the $1 million mark.

CISOs must meet the qualifications set out by companies to meet security expectations. Learn more about how to become a CISO.