A CISO’s Holiday Wish List
There’s no time like the holidays to show that special CISO in your life just how much you care (about the security of your organization). But what do you get for the executive who has everything on the IT “approved” list? Well, when a gift card to Newegg or 10 AWS credits just won’t cut it, we at Box have a few more ideas that might just bring a happier holiday to your CISO, and help secure your organization while you’re at it.
Artificial Intelligence (the not evil kind)
Malware detections have increased by 77% since 2020, as bad actors rebound from a pandemic that saw a lull in cyberthreats. With Grinches and bad actors around the world coming up with creative new ways to steal your most important content, CISOs need defenses that are able to not just keep up, but stay ahead. List-based malware scanning tools can struggle with newly created malware, since they are built on looking for known strains. Tools built on deep learning models, like Box Shield’s Malware Deep Scan, add an additional layer of security that looks inside of individual files to identify unknown malware and if found, block the spread of malware in near real-time to help reduce the risk of attacks.
Personal Shoppers (they know Linux right?)
One of the most well-known challenges within the cybersecurity space is the shortage of talent. The most recent (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study highlighted a 2.7 million person shortfall on security talent worldwide, so if you can get your CISO just one thing, maybe consider an experienced security expert.
…but just in case the shelves at the security expert store are a bit bare, you should also be looking for tools that help you do more with less. Tools that help automate different parts of your security infrastructure (such as Box Shield’s Classification-based Watermarking) can significantly reduce the amount of manpower needed to keep your content secure, as can security solutions that enable easier policy and user management.
Authentication Tools
With so many visitors coming and going this holiday season (…potentially including a certain jolly, red-suited fellow), it’s crucial that your CISO is able to trust that people are who they say they are before letting them into your network. After all, no one wants a bad actor sneaking in using credentials phished from an unsuspecting employee (use of stolen credentials is the top cause of data breaches).
Fortunately, with tools for authenticating user identity like multi-factor authentication (MFA), which helps verify user access with secondary “factors” like email, SMS, or a physical device, CISOs can ensure their users are who they say they are. Whether you get them Box, which has MFA built-in, or a device like a Yubikey if they prefer something more physical, your CISO will sleep more soundly this holiday season.
A happy family reunion
The holidays can bring family together from all over the world, and every CISO knows how tough working across different regions can be from a compliance perspective. We’re familiar with the challenges brought on by GDPR compliance in the past years, but it’s about to get even more complex. Next year, a number of states across the U.S are introducing their own privacy standards, led by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CPRA) bill. Add in a growing number of governments’ cybersecurity regulations and requirements, and you can be sure that your CISO would appreciate the gift of a compliant solution that satisfies the entire global family.
A "Silent Night"
At the end of the day, every CISO just wants to a night without worrying about cyberthreats harming their company. Whether it’s by advanced, artificially intelligent defenses and user identity tools, or through automation and globally compliant solutions, all your CISO really wants for the holidays is to go home at night knowing their organization is safe and able to do whatever it does best. Hopefully we’ve given you a few ideas for how to help that certain special CISO (or whomever you trust with your company’s security) keep your content and your organization safe this holiday season.