In this preview conversation, Aaron Back and CISO Frank Domizio discuss the upcoming Digital CIO Summit, which takes place April 4-6. In today’s Road to Digital CIO Summit preview discussion, Frank shares his thoughts on the evolving relationship between CIOs and CISOs over the past half-decade, as well as on the value of customer stories about software and other technology solutions.
To hear more data modernization, AI/hyperautomation, cybersecurity, and growth strategies from CIO practitioners, tune into Acceleration Economy’s Digital CIO Summit, which takes place April 4-6. Register for the free event here.
Highlights
00:59 — The roles of, and collaboration between, CISOs and CIOs have evolved so much from five years ago, says Aaron. Considering the massive evolution of technology that we’ve experienced in cloud, AI, cybersecurity, and data modernization, what is Frank’s opinion on the evolution of these roles?
01:20 — Over the last 10 years, attack surfaces have increased now that massive amounts of data have shifted to the cloud, which is “using, essentially, someone else’s computer,” Frank says. In that timeline, we’ve also seen cybercriminals mature, so the tactics they’re using have become more of a challenge. Those two things combined have played a big role in making the relationship between the CIO and the CISO so much more important.
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02:06 — Security concerns often run counter to the goals of the CIO organization. The CIO is thinking about deploying software with speed. So the CISO needs to set realistic expectations for the CIO of what security might mean and how that may affect things like timelines. On the other side, the CISO needs to understand that the business goals also have to come first, or there’s no business.
03:22 — In some organizations, the CISO is moving out of the CIO organization, and now sits as equal partners with the CIO in the C-suite, which just redoubles the need for collaboration and teamwork, Frank says.
05:04 — Aaron points out that some of these intricacies — such as the CISO reporting directly to the CEO — are hard to understand if you’re not inside a company, which is why having CIOs, CISOs CEOs, and other practitioners from these companies share their experiences is valuable, versus having vendors detail the feature of their products. How does Frank view this format in light of the evolving CIO-CISO relationship?
05:44 — Software companies are “always trying to sell us something,” says Frank, but getting an unbiased opinion from the trenches in the form of customer stories is much more useful. Customers aren’t trying to convince us to buy anything, they’re just here to share their thoughts and experiences on a particular solution, and to start a conversation. This perspective gives all of us a launching point for thoughts and discussions around what’s happening in our own arenas. “It’s really a differentiator for me,” he says.
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