Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) are pretty similar professions, but there are some little differences in their responsibilities. The primary difference is that a CISO is specifically responsible for security whereas a CIO is responsible for handling every IT team in the organization. Both are senior-most technical members in the organization. This article is curated with in-depth details of CISO and CIO professions to wipe out the confusion about these two professions.
What is CISO?
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is an executive officer responsible for maintaining the organization's security posture. They manage the security patches and test the security vulnerabilities, develop effective security policies, and ensure data complies with security regulations in the organization. CISO is a topmost C-level manager and plays a crucial role in various cybersecurity activities in the organization.
Responsibilities of CISO
The CISO is mainly focused on the organization's security posture, which includes many responsibilities and duties related to data security. The following are the core priority responsibilities of CISO:
Developing the effective security posture of the organization
Implementing and managing the Incident Response Plan
Monitoring the security issues of an organization
Addressing daily security threats over the organization's network
Conducting cybersecurity awareness and training programs for the employees
Maintaining security compliance and policies with business operations
What is CIO?
Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for handling a broad range of IT infrastructure and plays a crucial role in developing IT policies to meet business goals. They develop effective IT strategies and assist the IT team in implementing the IT plan.
Responsibilities of CIO
The following are the primary responsibilities of a CIO:
Planning and managing IT systems
Developing business goals
Building strategic IT procedures, policies, and best practices
Managing good relations with vendors
Monitoring and managing the IT budget
Reporting the IT plan status to the directors
CISO Vs. CIO
CISO and CIO are high-ranking C-suite positions and the major difference between a CISO and CIO is in their responsibilities. As their roles encompass various facets of the company's IT infrastructure, CISO and CIO must always collaborate. A CISO focuses more on managing the organization's IT security posture. At the same time, a CIO does strategize, controls, and oversees the entire operations associated with an organization's IT systems.
CISO training with InfosecTrain
InfosecTrain offers an instructor-led training program for Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) accredited by EC-Council. It helps to enhance the knowledge and expertise in the information security field and can handle security tasks effectively. If you want to crack the CCISO certification, check out and enroll now.
