How can a vCISO Bridge the Gap Between IT and Business Strategy?
Having a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) has become a necessity more than an option. With digital technology on an exponential rise, cyber attacks and threats are growing parallelly. Earlier this was a concern for only big enterprises, however, that is not the case anymore.
Studies have shown that almost 43% of all cyberattacks are directed toward small and medium-sized businesses. Despite this alarmingly large percentage, only 15% of SMBs are prepared to defend themselves during such an occasion.
This is mainly because they are not equipped to face these cyber threats and do not have the same level of resources to combat or recover from them. They risk going out of business and closing down in the face of such an event.
This is where a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) proves to be an ideal solution. They offer the same level of expertise and leadership as that of a traditional CISO but follow a flexible and cost-effective strategy.
Their importance has increased now that bridging the gap between business and IT has been a rising challenge. VCISOs easily translate the lack of understanding and communication. They help overcome the highly technical aspects of IT implementations into simple, concise, business-valued solutions.
This balance is essential for the successful integration of effective IT solutions that deliver significant business impact.
What is a vCISO? Key Responsibilities:
vCISOs are cybersecurity experts that provide strategic security guidance to organizations on a part-time, contractual, or as-needed basis. Given their technical proficiency, they often serve as mediators as well. They bring a level of perseverance, experience, and patience that is extremely valuable to bridging the gap between IT and Business.
Unlike a full-time CISO, a vCISO is usually engaged to fulfill the same critical functions without the financial commitment of a full-time executive position.
This makes high-level security expertise accessible to businesses of all sizes, especially small and medium-sized businesses that do not have the resources to hire a full-time CISO.
vCISOs take time to understand the organization’s business goals and strategically develop a comprehensive information security strategy that aligns with those goals. They also conduct risk assessments to identify and evaluate potential security threats and vulnerabilities.
Why hire a vCISO?
From specialized expertise to stronger security, compliance, and risk management, a vCISO offers compelling benefits for SMBs.
They are extremely valuable for SMBs that operate with limited budgets. This ensures that businesses receive expert guidance without the financial burden of a permanent salary and benefits package.
Once you have a vCISO on board, they completely take your security position. They navigate the complex compliance landscape by following the right regulations and standards to help you maintain it. They prepare businesses for security audits and assessments more efficiently, helping the company unlock upmarket sales opportunities that require specific compliance certifications.
Furthermore, they develop a comprehensive security strategy that aligns with and supports the business’s growth objectives. This includes assessing its current security posture, developing risk mitigation strategies, and planning for future security requirements.
What does bridging the gap between Business and IT mean?
As businesses continue to scale and technology continues to grow, it gives rise to a lot of miscommunication, misdirection, and biases that can hamper a seamless relationship.
This can be a serious issue a lack of understanding of each other’s working process and needs can lead to unrealistic expectations, unmet deadlines, wasted efforts, and even tense situations.
This has become an extremely topic as without alignment between Business and IT, the company can suffer considerable losses.
On the IT side, the issue comes up when IT leaders find it difficult to support their IT initiatives with business cases, making it difficult for them to show the commercial value of important IT organization elements.
On the business side, this gap arises when the business leaders fail to provide adequate resources, time for the planning and research stage, and a proper business case. This does not leave enough time for the IT Leaders to uncover the real value of the proposed solutions.
What are the common causes for this challenge?
- Lack of an open communication channel between the IT Leaders, Business Decision Makers, and their respective departments.
- Unrealistic expectations for both sides. The business side expects “magic solutions” that cannot often be met due to insufficient technologies, current limitations, or misunderstandings.
- The language and the terminology used by Business and IT are quite different, leading to a significant amount of misunderstanding. This gap has become more evident with the rise of AI conversations.
- Different priorities often lead to friction.
What is the solution?
To close the gap between Business and IT, both sides need to work together effectively.
Business teams must clearly define their goals and requirements while trusting IT to develop the best possible solutions. They should recognize that the optimal solution might not align perfectly with their initial vision due to technical constraints.
On the other hand, IT professionals must understand business strategies, challenges, and objectives. They should also communicate software solutions, risks, and limitations in a way that business stakeholders can understand.
Here’s how to achieve a structured and cohesive approach:
- Encourage open communication and hold regular meetings to align goals.
- Invest in mutual training programs that help Business and IT understand each other’s processes and constraints.
- Encourage collaboration from right from the beginning to help build relationships and avoid assumptions.
- Use the right tools to improve workflow and strengthen teamwork
- A dedicated “Mediator” or vCISO can help bridge the gap by understanding both business and technical challenges.
What is the Mediator’s Role?
The Mediator acts as a leader, supporter, and strategist, ensuring Business and IT align on key initiatives.
This role can come from either a business or technical background but must develop fluency in both domains. This is often fulfilled by a vCISO for SMBs as their technical proficiency ensures IT solutions align with business needs while they focus on setting realistic expectations and integrating business goals into execution.
This helps build trust with executives, navigate organizational politics, and provide a high-level of technical insights.
Conclusively, the benefits of having a vCISO are many and varied, especially for small and medium businesses.
Connect with Cybershield CSC to learn more about vCISO services and how we help you navigate this complex world.