CISOs Should Drive Digital Transformation Or Perish: Study

Capgemini and IDC have released a new study which reveals the increasing pressure on enterprises’ Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to drive forward digital transformation – or risk losing their seat at the table when it comes to key business decisions.

Historically, says the study, the information security department has gained an unfortunate reputation for being the department of “no”, being often viewed as a blocker to IT and business transformation and out of touch with genuine business needs. However, this new research reveals that attitudes are changing, and business leaders are increasingly relying on CISOs to create meaningful business impact.

The study found that whilst CISOs are now involved in 90% of significant business decisions, the research found that just 25% of business executives perceive CISOs as proactively enabling digital transformation – which is a key goal for 89% of organisations. 

Key findings from the research include:

Information security is a business differentiator – Business executives think the number one reason for information security is competitive advantage and differentiation, followed by business efficiency. Just 15% of business executives think information security is a blocker of innovation – indicating that information security is no longer the ‘department of no’
CISOs are now boardroom players – 80% of business executives and CISOs think their personal influence has improved in the last three years. CISOs are now involved in 90% of medium or high influence boardroom decisions
CISOs must lead digital transformation efforts – At present, less than 25% of business executives think CISOs proactively enable digital transformation. To stay relevant, CISOs must become business enablers. They need to adopt business mindsets and push digital transformation forward, not react to it. CISOs that fail to adopt a business mindset will be replaced by more forward-thinking players.