In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the role of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) has evolved dramatically. No longer can they rely solely on traditional strategies that aim to erect impenetrable walls around corporate networks. With cyber threats on the rise and breaches increasingly inevitable, a new approach is essential: one that emphasizes rapid recovery and operational continuity. This transformation reflects a fundamental shift in how cybersecurity integrates within organizations—embracing resilience over mere defense.
Shebani Baweja, an experienced CISO, provides valuable insights into this paradigm shift. In a thoughtful conversation with Help Net Security, she proposes a practical framework centered around three critical pillars: managing third-party risk, anticipating emerging threats, and aligning security initiatives with business goals. Her perspective highlights an emerging consensus within the industry: cybersecurity must intertwine seamlessly with broader business strategies and corporate culture, moving beyond isolation to become a core component of operational success.
The Third-Party Risk Paradox: Collaboration and Vulnerability
Modern organizations often function within intricate ecosystems comprising various vendors, partners, and service providers. Each relationship presents not only opportunities but also significant security vulnerabilities. According to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, breaches involving third parties can lead to an average financial loss of $4.88 million. As Baweja notes, effective third-party risk management requires moving beyond compliance checklists to develop authentic partnerships focused on shared security expectations.
As organizations increasingly turn to cloud computing and software-as-a-service models, the complexity of third-party relationships escalates. The pressure to prioritize speed and functionality often overshadows comprehensive security vetting. Baweja suggests a risk-based approach that classifies vendors according to their access to sensitive systems and data, applying stringent controls where necessary while streamlining processes for less critical partnerships.
Building Vendor Accountability Through Transparency
In today’s threat landscape, traditional vendor questionnaires and periodic audits fall short in addressing emerging vulnerabilities. Shifts in business practices now mean that by 2025, 60% of organizations will factor in cybersecurity risks when engaging with third parties, as reported by Gartner. This change necessitates real-time visibility and continuous monitoring of vendor security postures.
Baweja underscores the importance of clear contractual obligations regarding incident notification and security controls, striking a balance that fosters a culture of collaboration rather than hostility. By crafting a partnership-based approach to risk management, organizations can encourage vendors to report security issues without fear of reprisal and evolve their relationship management practices to be less adversarial.
Emerging Threats: From Artificial Intelligence to Quantum Computing
The evolving threat landscape features adversaries increasingly utilizing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), which enhances their capabilities for automated attacks. As highlighted by Dark Reading, AI-driven attacks surged by 78% in 2024, particularly targeting sectors like finance and health care. Recognizing this dual-edged sword, Baweja advocates for leveraging AI technology not just for defense but also in threat detection and automated responses to incidents.
The challenge lies in developing AI solutions that remain transparent and understandable to users, avoiding the so-called “black box” scenarios that can erode trust in automated decisions. Therefore, organizations must invest in both the technology and the talent necessary to implement effective AI-driven security solutions.
The Quantum Threat on the Horizon
Looking beyond current threats, the potential impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity is high on the agenda for forward-thinking CISOs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has already released post-quantum cryptographic standards, signaling the imminent need for organizations to secure their encrypted data against future decryption risks. Even if practical quantum threats remain years away, Baweja encourages organizations to inventory their cryptographic assets and devise migration plans proactively.
This long-term vision exemplifies the strategic orientation required of today’s CISOs, demanding a balance between immediate operational needs and investments in future resilience. With scrutiny around security budgets on the rise, presenting these investments as necessary for revenue protection, customer trust, and regulatory compliance can create a more compelling case for stakeholders.
Translating Technical Risk into Business Language
One of the essential skills for contemporary CISOs is the ability to communicate security concerns in terms that resonate with business leaders. Technical jargon regarding vulnerabilities or advanced threats often fails to capture boardroom attention focused on market performance and profitability. According to Forbes, CISOs who align security initiatives with business objectives enjoy 43% higher budget approval rates than their counterparts who persist with purely technical discussions.
Baweja emphasizes the value of conducting business impact analyses that relate security risks directly to financial implications such as potential revenue loss and regulatory penalties. Achieving this requires CISOs to grasp their organization’s business model and competitive landscape thoroughly, enabling them to act not just as technical experts but as strategic advisors in risk management.
Building Cross-Functional Security Champions
Cultivating a culture of security across all levels of an organization is vital for achieving cyber resilience. Baweja highlights the need for security awareness and accountability to permeate the entire organization, from developers instilling secure coding practices to customer service agents recognizing social engineering scams. Organizations that have instituted comprehensive security awareness initiatives experience 70% fewer successful phishing attacks compared to those with minimal training efforts, as noted by CSO Online.
However, relying solely on annual compliance training is insufficient in the face of dynamic threats. Modern initiatives must incorporate gamified learning experiences, simulated attacks, and role-specific training that address the unique risks faced by different employees. The focus now shifts from creating mere awareness to instilling behavioral change that integrates security considerations into the daily operations and decisions of every team member.
Measuring Resilience: Beyond Traditional Security Metrics
Conventional security metrics, such as the volume of patched vulnerabilities or system updates, offer limited insights into actual organizational resilience. Baweja advocates for more meaningful metrics focused on recovery capabilities: how swiftly can critical operations resume post-incident, and how effectively can the organization function during a cyberattack? Organizations measuring resilience indicators recover 52% faster from incidents, according to SecurityWeek.
To gauge these metrics, organizations need to adopt diverse approaches to measurement, incorporating business continuity testing and incident responses alongside technical tool outputs. The CISO should work with business units to define acceptable recovery time objectives, ensuring that security strategies align with practical business needs, rather than idealized theoretical frameworks.
The Regulatory Compliance Imperative
The regulatory landscape is intensifying with the emergence of new cybersecurity and privacy frameworks globally. Organizations now navigate an average of 37 distinct regulations, up from only 22 five years ago, as noted by JD Supra. Compliance should be seen as a baseline rather than an endpoint; merely meeting regulations does not equate to comprehensive cybersecurity resilience.
Baweja emphasizes that sophisticated organizations utilize compliance frameworks as starting points and enhance their controls based on specific risk profiles and intelligence. To successfully navigate this landscape, security leaders must stay up-to-date on evolving regulations while promoting risk-based investments that go beyond basic compliance mandates.
Building Organizational Resilience Through Culture
While technological solutions and processes are critical for cyber resilience, organizational culture plays a key role in determining success. Baweja asserts that security must be interwoven into the corporate values and decision-making frameworks. Research from Harvard Business Review highlights that organizations with strong security cultures experience 64% fewer successful breaches and recover 48% faster from incidents.
Instilling this culture demands consistent messaging from the top, appropriate incentives, and visible consequences for security lapses. When leadership prioritizes and allocates resources for security, it influences employees to internalize these values. In contrast, when security is viewed as merely a cost center or barrier to innovation, even the most robust technical defenses may falter. For CISOs, this challenge of shaping organizational culture—often without direct authority—is a critical test of leadership effectiveness.
The Path Forward: Adaptive Security in Uncertain Times
The complexities of cybersecurity will only deepen as threat actors adopt more sophisticated techniques and organizations undergo increasing digital transformation. Baweja’s framework for cyber resilience offers a roadmap for security leaders tackling these uncertainties. The road ahead demands a delicate balance of fostering innovation and managing risk, addressing immediate challenges while investing in long-term capabilities.
The most effective CISOs will transcend traditional roles, emerging as strategic advisors and leaders within their organizations. They will need to communicate adeptly with a variety of stakeholders—from technical teams monitoring defenses to board members considering enterprise-wide risk. The goal is to create resilient organizations that can weather inevitable cybersecurity incidents while maintaining trust and operational continuity—a multifaceted challenge that extends far beyond technical proficiency.
