Schimbarea rolului CISO

The CISO role has evolved dramatically over the past decade, maturing from security officer to impactful business leader who, increasingly, is a part of their organization’s C-suite. In light of the considerable impact security risks have on business objectives, this is a welcome transformation. Encouraging employees to go beyond their day-to-day and view security as a priority, making allies of users and business managers and providing the organization with tangible value, is extremely rewarding.

Cu toate acestea, pentru mulți ofițeri șefi de securitate a informațiilor, the operational, real-time, and often strenuous aspects of the role haven’t changed, despite this evolution. Being a CISO can be a lonely job, as employees know that if you approach them, you’re likely going to be adding to their workload — whether by requesting that they learn more about a specific risk or asking for their help in mitigating it. Employees may see CISOs as causing friction within the organization, while CISOs today strive to become enablers — not obstructers. CISO burnout is real; having to juggle business expectations, customer needs, shifting workflows, new vulnerabilities, and incident-response 24/7 can become grueling over time.

schimbarea rolului CISO has not gone unnoticed by other players in the tech industry, including startup founders and venture capital firms that view CISOs’ expertise as a leverageable commodity in the competitive startup landscape. After years of perpetual threat mitigation, CISOs may be keen to explore alternative career opportunities down the line, pivoting away from the operational aspects of the CISO role.

Acești factori, precum și pasiunea mea de a asista furnizorii în optimizarea abordării lor față de CISO, mi-au influențat foarte mult decizia din 2021 de a mă alătura companiei de capital de risc YL Ventures, axată pe securitate cibernetică, ca CISO în rezidență.

The CISO’s Vantage Point

Being a VC CISO-in-residence provides both a strategic and a behind-the-scenes vantage point into the startup environment. Shifting from a 24/7 incident-response role to a more holistic guidance position complements a CISO’s breadth of knowledge and allows them to use their insights and experience to build new security products, rather than managing or mitigating risk. At YL Ventures, which invests at the earliest stages of a cybersecurity startup, I work with founders who are in the most crucial phases of their startup journey, and this is one of the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of my position.

Responsabilitatea mea se concentrează pe participarea la sesiuni de ideare cu o nouă generație de fondatori de securitate cibernetică, ținând sesiuni săptămânale cu aceștia despre strategia de produs și împărtășirea experienței mele ca parte a echipei YL Ventures prin oportunități de branding personal. Implicarea mea strânsă în procesul de pornire îmi permite să iau parte activ la construirea soluțiilor visurilor mele pentru punctele dure care au afectat industria de ani de zile - și care m-au afectat (și frustrat) personal, în munca mea de CISO operațional.

Working closely with the Israeli cybersecurity industry is an exceptional opportunity to be part of the cradle of cybersecurity innovation. Israeli entrepreneurs are the Ivy League of young cybersecurity professionals, and embedding myself in their passion and drive makes me a better CISO. Before joining YL Ventures, I was under the impression that VCs dealt primarily in ideas. Learning that the firm bets on the team, not just the idea, was surprising, but also helped define my role in the process. I take an active part in the due diligence activities that are integral to deciding which startup to fund. This poses a challenge, as an idea may be exactly what the CISO ordered — everything you’ve dreamed about as an operational cyber professional — but the team may not stack up to expectations. And for the company, that factor would prevail.

O astfel de expunere la tehnologii și strategii de investiții în curs de dezvoltare completează deceniile mele de experiență în domeniul securității într-un mod nou și deschide posibilități pentru investiții de îngeri, oportunități de branding personal și expunere la o rețea globală de profesioniști în securitate care are o valoare profesională imensă în viitor. Din experiența mea, mulți CISO au ambiții de a deveni antreprenori, iar îndrumarea fondatorilor de startup-uri ca CISO în rezidență poate fi un curs intens de antreprenoriat și înțelegerea a ceea ce este nevoie pentru a-ți lansa propriile startup-uri și a deveni CEO.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn about more than just the technical product aspects during my time as CISO-in-residence so far. My role provides me with insights on team building, funding strategies, what investors look for in founders, and why the co-founder dynamic is important. For entrepreneurs, having a seasoned CISO at their disposal to bounce ideas off of has a real impact on their product-market fit strategy, as the CISO represents the customer — and these conversations are crucial at their early stage. Saving the world one incident at a time has its glamour, but stepping behind the curtain and helping stack the building blocks of future solutions as a VC CISO-in-residence is a unique and rewarding experience.