The Current State: A Disconnect from the Trenches
In India’s evolving cybersecurity landscape, the role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is facing a reckoning. Often trapped between external consultants, OEM vendors, and executive management, many CISOs have been reduced to facilitators, removed from the technical trenches where real threats emerge. Architecture assessments, incident response, and even policy configurations are routinely outsourced, leaving the CISO as an observer of their own domain.
Reliance on high-level dashboards, imported frameworks like Gartner’s, and vendor-dependent reports has deepened the crisis. Many CISOs lack the technical acumen to question these narratives or lead a threat-informed strategy. Skills like SIEM tuning, packet analysis, and malware triage are frequently absent. The result is a security apparatus driven more by marketing than threat modeling—leaving organizations exposed and security teams demoralized.
Without hands-on expertise, CISOs lose credibility with the engineers they manage and the adversaries they must anticipate. A slick presentation cannot replace real-time incident management or the confidence gained through operational command. In this era of 24/7 cyber conflict, the illusion of security is worse than none at all.
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The Path Forward: Technical Leadership Over Tactical Coordination
To meet today’s threats, Indian CISOs must evolve into strategic technocrats. This transformation requires a return to foundational security skills—log analysis, threat hunting, red-blue team simulations, and internal capability development. Upskilling shouldn’t be certification-driven but oriented toward frontline readiness.
Reducing dependence on third-party vendors is vital. CISOs should build lean, skilled in-house teams capable of detecting and responding to threats in real time. They must also become fluent translators—articulating complex technical risks in business terms for the board, while ensuring operational depth within their teams.
Above all, the title “CISO” must reflect technical command, not just compliance oversight. As attackers grow more organised, the defence must be led by those who understand the battlefield, not just the balance sheet.