With the increase of technological advances, human error whether intentional or unintentional continues to contribute to many cyber threats. This paper discusses how can the Chief information security officer or CISO balance the tradeoff of training and additional cybersecurity technology in an organization with a limited budget.
What is a Chief information officer?
Chief information security officers, or CISOs, are senior executives who manage the technology, cyber, and information security of a company. Making, executing, and enforcing security policies to safeguard vital data are among the duties of the CISO(CISO, 2022).
How can a CISO allocate a limited budget?
A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) must make smart decisions when allocating a restricted budget in order to optimize the impact on the cybersecurity status of the company. As a CISO, I would start with a risk assessment first and foremost. To identify the most important risks and weaknesses, I would start with a thorough risk assessment. I can use this to prioritize the best uses of my limited budget. I can make well-informed judgments on whether to invest in technology, training, or a combination of both by knowing the specific risks that my company faces. Secondly, I would provide training to every employee. Employees with the proper training are frequently the first to fight off cyberattacks. Putting money into training is essential to fostering a culture of security awareness and lowering the possibility of human error. By focusing on low-cost training programs, I enable my employees to recognize and mitigate possible hazards, avoiding the need for costly technology solutions. In addition, I would negotiate for the best possible price with suppliers. To get the best deal possible, I will need to negotiate with cybersecurity suppliers and look into any available discounts or flexible payment plans. My restricted budget can be used to its fullest capacity and I may be able to obtain more features or services for less money by optimizing my vendor relationships.
I would also make use of cyber security tools based on Al. No matter the size or experience level of the staff, AI-based cybersecurity solutions give access to the most recent knowledge. On a tighter budget, buying a new platform can seem odd, but it’s not. With the help of AI technologies, I can reduce the resources needed to establish a more secure environment, which is sometimes difficult or impossible when working with a limited budget(Gregory, 2023).
Conclusion
The specific duties will differ depending on the organization. A CISO’s primary responsibility is to create and oversee the information security program. This entails supporting and improving company outcomes while safeguarding the organization’s resources, systems, applications, and technological infrastructure. The CISO can create a strong cybersecurity foundation that tackles both present threats and possible future difficulties by carefully distributing scarce resources across these important areas.
References
Cisco. (2022, December 7). What is a Ciso? chief information security officer. Cisco. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what-is-ciso.html
Gregory, J. (2023, October 26). Six ways to secure your organization on a smaller budget. Security Intelligence. https://securityintelligence.com/articles/six-ways-to-secure-organization-on-smaller-budget/