Recognising the toughest job in enterprise security

One of the most important (and toughest) positions in an enterprise at the moment is the chief information security officer, or CISO.

The job is a big one: it involves regulatory compliance and assurance work, risk management, privacy, technology controls and identity management.

Incident response, disaster recovery and business continuity also come as part of the package, and that’s before we even start talking about the actual security aspect of being a CISO.

A CISO has the difficult task of balancing business nous and needs with IT security awareness and in-depth technical knowledge.

CISOs are in demand, and there’s little wonder why: IT security and related areas are becoming increasingly important for enterprises. Organisations rely on secure and reliable IT systems for their business, and a good CISO can make all the difference.

At the same time, the threat landscape is continually evolving. This year, CISOs will have to contend with not just random hackers and organised cybercrime rackets trying to steal data and cause damage, but governments pushing for, in some cases, unreasonable access to their systems.

A CISO’s job isn’t just outward looking either. They have to support and navigate an organisation through an increasingly complex setting where regulation, cybercrime, and business drivers collide with one another.

It takes a special individual to meet the above requirements, and we would like to show our appreciation by recognising what’s possibly one of the toughest jobs in an enterprise today.

Today we launch the inaugural Secure Computing Benchmark Awards, and begin the hunt for Australia’s top CISO for 2015.

If you have the chops or know someone who does, you can enter or nominate through this form.

We’d like to hear about particularly good projects instigated and led by the CISO, or the handling of an particularly tricky incident.

The deadline for nominations is April 10 and finalists will be announced on the 17th of the same month.

On May 14, finalists will be asked to join us at an exclusive event to meet the judging panel. We will also shoot a short video that day of each finalist explaining their projects.

That clip will be on posted on the Secure Computing website after the event.

The CISO of the year will be announced at the AusCERT 2015 conference, held at the Royal Pines, Gold Coast June 1 to 5.

This is your opportunity to show Australian business the difference a CISO makes, so don't miss it.