Identity Crisis

Amidst terrorism threats and world turmoil, you'd think that support for security would be at an all-time high. You'd be wrong.

This special issue is designed to help CSOs breeze throughor even skipthat painful evolutionary stage. We surveyed more than 400 security professionals and interviewed dozens more CSOs and CISOs to extract keys for security executive success. Some of our stories present research results on CSO compensation and responsibilities. Some point to solutions for getting the job and keeping it. Some will help you organize your company's security function for maximum effectiveness. Through this broad range of topics, a few common threads of advice are woven.

First, security must end its turf battles and present a unified front to business leaders.

Corporate and infosecurity personnel should do lunch, hold educational seminars, throw Hawaiian-shirt keg partieswhatever it takes to knock down the walls of mistrust. The security team must put aside power struggles, personality clashes and stereotypes to gain credibility from the rest of the organization.

Security must also stop sending business leaders negative messages. The message is not about what executives don't understand or what they can't do. Successful CSOs will be those who demonstrate an eagerness to listen to the business agenda and then work to make it happensecurely.

Finallyand this will be the mark of the security function becoming mature and embedded in business psychologyCSOs must find the places where security truly can serve as a differentiator for the business, a point that establishes customer trust vis-à-vis the competition.

Addressing such issues won't solve every problem the CSO faces, but it will lay the foundation for a clear identitya well-defined, widely accepted position in the executive ranks from which to truly effect corporate change. It could be a long journey, and for many it will be difficult. The only thing harder is staying where we are now.