Over the past six years, our Security Leaders Peer Report (SLPR) has provided valuable insights into a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. Through extensive research, we’ve delivered a data-driven view of how security leaders have adapted to fresh challenges and competing priorities – from shifting threats and new regulations to resource shortages and more organizational oversight than ever before.
Having conducted over 4,000 interviews with Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), we’re taking a moment to look back; to quantify what trends have defined the first half of this decade, to understand the big challenges left to tackle, and to anticipate what’s in store for security leaders over the next decade.
Cybersecurity has undergone a seismic shift this decade, evolving from a back-office function to a boardroom priority. As security leaders take on greater organizational accountability, they are inevitably saddled with growing reporting demands.
But more reporting doesn’t always mean better visibility - many security leaders are drowning in data yet still struggle to confidently assess their organization’s security posture, likely fuelling a rise in control failures. Together, these challenges highlight the urgent need for a more proactive, data-driven approach to security.
Four key trends have defined the evolution of the cybersecurity landscape over the past six years, according to security leaders:
TREND 1
The changing role of the CISO from technical expert to boardroom protagonist.
TREND 2
The burden of manual reporting and the impact on resourcing, effectiveness and morale.
TREND 3
The lack of visibility and the rise of assurance.
TREND 4
Security hygiene and the on-going impact of control failures.