“What certainly popped [from the survey results] is how difficult the job ends up being for CISOs who work in that $1 billion to $5 billion range,” Kakolowski of IANS said in an interview. “What we see when we put together the job satisfaction data, data about their job skills, certifications, and compensation is they are at a very challenging transition point within the business. They are often treated — as in smaller organizations — as more functional, technical professionals.”
But as the organization grows, the management team becomes more complex, the business demands become more complex. So, he concludes, CISOs at small enterprise-sized firms need to start taking a more strategic role if they want to become more functional business executives.
However, he cautions that some organizations will expect CISOs to make that transition at different stages of their careers, and some firms may not be ready for a CISO to make the move. That’s where building relationships with senior management will help.
