The Background

Cybersecurity remains at the top of the digital innovation investment priorities of large companies and SMEs. The cybersecurity market grew by 16% to 2.15

billion. Italy, however, remains in last place among the G7 countries with a ratio of cybersecurity spending to GDP of 0.12% (Source: Cybersecurity and Data Protection Observatory) 

The main reasons for the increase in the cybersecurity budget are the incorporation of new technologies, increased board attention and compliance actions towards new regulations. 

Cybersecurity is increasingly central to Italian companies: 81% of them have a structured cyber strategy and in 48% of these, top management is actively involved. (Source: Cybersecurity and Data Protection Observatory)

CISO and CIO: two key roles in the company

They are both crucial to the management of technology and information in a company, but focus on different aspects. Both work collaboratively to ensure that technology not only advances business objectives but is also secure and resilient.

CISO is primarily concerned with information security including developing policies and procedures to protect data from internal and external threats, managing information security resources and responding to security incidents. Its main objective is to minimise risk and maximise protection against breaches.

CIO focuses more broadly on the strategy and implementation of technology within the organisation. This role includes overseeing the IT infrastructure, developing new technology solutions, optimising existing systems to improve efficiency and managing the IT team. 

While CISO ensures that threats and risks are properly managed, CIO ensures that technology effectively supports business objectives.

These two roles are crucial because CISO focuses on information security while CIO on technology management and implementation. 

The figure of CISO at the centre of recent cyber trends

58% of Italian companies have formally introduced the figure of the CISO to oversee and coordinate corporate cybersecurity. 

One of the fundamental roles of CISO is to be able to act as a communication bridge between the technical world of cybersecurity and the business world, translating technical requirements into business needs. He or she must be able to communicate effectively both with the corporate board and with employees and customers with a view to concretely reducing risks.

Conclusions

As cyber threats evolve, companies are increasingly responsible for developing cybersecurity strategies that are proactive and able to adapt to the rapidly changing threat landscape, ensuring that breaches are managed effectively and lessons learnt are incorporated into continuous improvements in security practices.

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