As CEOs turn to security professionals to protect the enterprise, it's about time some security professionals became top executives themselves. Security is finally becoming a primary IT job function. But does it mean that security professionals will be granted their own role in executive management?. . .
As CEOs turn to security professionals to protect the enterprise, it's about time some security professionals became top executives themselves. Security is finally becoming a primary IT job function. But does it mean that security professionals will be granted their own role in executive management? Is that the silver lining inside the dramatic increase in IT's security-related issues and work-loads?

Certainly we're seeing a higher level of top executive interest in security issues. While this is a gratifying extension of a recent trends, it could also pose new problems for security professionals.

IT security is still seen as a largely reactive field, gaining attention mostly in the wake of high-profile attacks. That makes it all too easy for security professionals to be viewed as front-line soldiers keeping the enemy away from the gates -- while the officer corps passes them by.

Not every enterprise sees things that way, of course. Some firms have been ahead of the curve for some time, creating and defining the role of Chief Security Officer (CSO). In such positions, and related ones such as Chief Privacy Officer, security professionals have the opportunity to demonstrate management, leadership, and strategic skills, as well as mastery of day-to-day security tactics.

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