Business Information and Security Officer plays a major strategic role and has a strong Business Acumen. BISO holds an in-depth knowledge of business aligned with cybersecurity requirements.
They then align those with the cybersecurity function's priorities and initiatives, advancing the information security posture across the organization and, essentially, filling the gap between business operations and cybersecurity program management.
The BISO's responsibilities extend across a variety of tasks and include supporting core security functions with the following:
- Risk management: This includes risk identification, risk acceptance, solution development and risk mitigation implementation support.
- Education: This includes educating business and functional leaders on operationalization of policies, standards and baselines.
- Collaboration: This includes collaborating on key security tasks, such as incident management, threat modeling, vulnerability management, third party assessments, etc.
Successful BISOs typically possess:
- Executive presence, and the ability to foster relationship management, negotiate and influence.
- Effective communications skills, including both written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate security principles into business terms.
- Foundational technical expertise, including both business acumen and strategic thinking, as well as the ability to identify issues and provide innovative problem solving.
