The threat landscape is changing rapidly. With, among other things, the growth and importance of automation within an organization, the role of the CISO is also growing. For example, information security must take into account an increasingly connected world. At the same time, the CISO must also be able to include fellow directors and the rest of the organization in the rapidly changing threat landscape.

The CISO supports the strategic business agenda that, according to Gartner, has the following agenda items in 2025:

1. Growth and Innovation
2. New technology
3. Geopolitics
4. Risks versus workability
5. Energy and Sustainability

At each of these strategic points, the CISO can contribute substantively to achieving business goals, without sacrificing cybersecurity.

The traditional role of the CISO helps to ensure that all basic security measures — such as multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, encryption, and regular updates — are complied with. Against the background of an increasingly rapidly changing threat landscape and an increasing dependence on IT, it is up to the CISO to maintain the balance within this constantly changing context. There is often no colleague at the C-level who is the connecting link between everyday operations and the increasing number of external threats.

The role of a connecting link is one that the CISO is good at taking on. Of course, by technically reducing the attack surface, but the CISO also plays an indispensable role strategically. Among other things, by continuously monitoring the threat environment ourselves, including the emergence of new (geopolitical) threats and possible malicious activities.