Ask any chief information security officer (CISO) what keeps them up at night and you’ll likely get a familiar list of persistent threats: ransomware, AI-enabled nation-state actors and in-the-wild exploitation of vulnerabilities hiding in an ever-expanding digital footprint. For years, the role has been defined by a state of constant vigilance, a reactive posture against an unending siege.
In nearly every conversation I now have with CISOs, I ask them what they would do if they could reclaim 25% of their time. What I hear aren’t wishes for more tropical vacations. Instead, the responses form a new bucket list focused on innovation and transformation.
Energized by AI’s power and potential, CISOs are creating lists that paint a picture of a new-normal state for security that is proactive, deeply human-centric and autonomous. This isn’t about adding another blinking box to the security stack; it’s a practical — and at times profound — roadmap for re-engineering the very function of security. It’s about fundamentally shifting the paradigm of how security creates value, moving from a cost center to an innovation center that truly enables the business.
