Board-ready CISO?, Conflicting Ideas Lead 2 Stronger Strategy, Overcome Comm Barriers – BSW #309

Even though there is a growing demand for cybersecurity expertise at the highest levels of business, a significant number of public companies lack even one qualified cybersecurity expert on their board of directors, according to a study by cybersecurity research and advisory firm IANS. In addition, the study found that just a little more than one in 10 CISOs have all the key traits thought to be crucial for success on a corporate board.

The CISO role was once “niche” – about keeping an organization secure. The role has become one where they must both keep security nailed down and help ensure the business is securely and intelligently leveraging data and technology.

With this dramatic shift in focus comes the need for CISOs to understand the business from top to bottom, and to develop – refining on an ongoing basis – that now-essential skill: communicating the whats and whys of their vision and evolving security program.

Two reports focused on the cyberinsurance market found prices continued to moderate in the first quarter of 2023, according to the Global Insurance Market Index from Marsh. Average price increases rose by just 11% compared with 28% increases during the fourth quarter of 2022.

A Fitch Ratings report found a decline in ransomware incidents helped slow the rise of premiums for stand-alone cyberinsurance, although they still rose by 62%. The report noted pricing was likely to further moderate in 2023 due to competitive factors and an improvement in cyberhygiene.

To help tech and security pros build out their summer reading for the next three months (whether it’s a beach read or a digital download during a staycation), Dice asked a group of cybersecurity executives and industry watchers what they’re reading this summer. In addition to their reading list, experts shared their current thinking about how the cybersecurity field is evolving and what skills are needed to keep up.

In a volatile, uncertain world, successful strategies are those conceived as portfolios of options rather than as roadmaps. But to successfully create and communicate such strategies, managers must embrace incompatible and misaligned ideas, communicate multiple and conflicting narratives, and share ideas as they think of them as opposed to the traditional sequence of thinking then sharing. To enable this, leaders need to foster a culture in which people can disagree without being punished for it.

When it comes to effective communication, various barriers can get in the way. Let’s take a closer look at some of these barriers and how to overcome communication barriers:

1. Physical Barriers
2. Psychological Barriers
3. Semantic Barriers
4. Cultural Barriers
5. Technological Challenges
6. Time Zone Differences
7. Lack of Visual Cues and Context