For businesses today, cyber risk is everywhere. Yet for all the investments they’ve made to secure their systems and protect customers, companies are still struggling to make cybersecurity a vibrant, proactive part of strategy, operations, and culture. The root cause is twofold: (1) Cybersecurity is treated as a back-office job and (2) most cyber leaders are ill-equipped to exert strategic influence. Given that a cyber leader’s average tenure is just 18 months, it’s clear that something needs to change.
Companies Need to Rethink What Cybersecurity Leadership Is
A framework for boards and C-suite executives.
November 27, 2019
Summary.
Many companies are still struggling to make cybersecurity a vibrant, proactive part of strategy, operations, and culture. The root cause is twofold: (1) Cybersecurity is treated as a back-office job and (2) most cyber leaders are ill-equipped to exert strategic influence. Today’s cyber leaders must be able to embed security throughout the company’s operations, rapidly respond to threats, and influence fellow senior leaders. In short, they must be able to lead. And that means companies need to hire and develop security executives who have the skills to be true leaders. This article presents a framework for boards and C-suite executives to use when formulating a cybersecurity strategy and choosing someone to lead it.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Digital Intelligence . Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Excel in a world that's being continually transformed by technology.