The evolving role of the CISO and how it impacts channel partners

In recent years, the traditional IT buying cycle has transformed. What was once a decision made largely at the discretion of CIOs, procurement, and operations is now significantly influenced by the chief information security officer (CISO).

The CISO has historically been a technical role, focusing on data security, cybersecurity, and overall risk management from an IT perspective. The modern CISO, however, has become central to business strategy and operational resilience, amidst growing cyber risks and increasing regulatory scrutiny. 

These shifting priorities and demands have led to CISOs becoming the linchpin between IT departments and the C-suite. However, this new pressure to boost business resilience, mitigate risks, and hold a central seat in business strategy decisions has led to widespread industry burnout.

For channel partners, this is a watershed moment as they now have the opportunity to engage with CISOs as strategic advisors, as well as product suppliers.

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The CISO is the new buyer 

The expansion of the CISO’s role can be largely attributed to the sharp rise in cyber attacks over recent years, compounded by the rapid evolution of AI capabilities.

The UK government recently reported that almost half of businesses suffered a cybersecurity breach or attack within the last 12 months. And while AI readiness sits at the top of the C-suite agenda, uncertainty around infrastructure readiness is slowing down adoption, with many organizations revealing they struggle with data lineage, security, and governance. 

In light of these findings, it comes as no surprise that 69 percent of IT leaders are kept up at night by data security concerns, according to our research. Data is at the heart of all of these concerns: how it’s accessed, governed, and optimized. As a result, CISOs have become indispensable for ensuring continuous and proactive resilience and operational continuity, overseeing the intersection of security, innovation, and compliance. 

As data governance, lineage, and compliance become board-level priorities for enterprises, the CISO’s expertise is increasingly needed at the C-suite table, with many now reporting directly to the CEO.

For channel partners, this presents an opportunity to a trusted partner of CISOs who are navigating the new demands of their changing roles by offering solutions that signpost long-term compliance, operational continuity, and risk mitigation. Those who position themselves to address these new sets of priorities will ultimately build stronger long-term relationships with CISOs through offering personalized, practical guidance that will move the needle and help protect their organizations.

Regulation as a sales driver

While always slightly behind the newest threats, compliance standards around the world have been making strides to keep pace. This manifested in shifting away from static, periodical security scans and audits, to mandating secure-by-design solutions and continuous monitoring under acts like the EU AI Act, DORA, and NIS2. In the UK in particular, the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act will require organizations to ensure stricter visibility across their IT environments, which is a foundational requirement for enterprises gearing up for AI implementation. 

However, these new regulatory demands have created a widening confidence gap. Indeed, our research suggests that less than one-third of IT leaders have confidence that they will pass their next regulatory audit. As security becomes a consideration from the outset instead of an added feature at the end, CISOs command a larger budgetary influence in IT modernization initiatives, in order to avoid penalties for non-compliance. 

The global compliance market is estimated to reach $92.1 billion by 2033, presenting a clear market potential for channel partners. With CISOs now playing a key role in safeguarding reputation through risk mitigation, the channel has the opportunity to engage with this role as a strategic stakeholder, offering best-in-class solutions and tailored implementation guidance.

The channel can take this further still by positioning itself to offer region-specific expertise to CISOs, playing a key part in ensuring that their organizations are prepared to stay ahead of changing regulatory requirements.

Modernization through a security lens 

In fact, concerns over security block IT modernization strategy success the most, according to 41 percent of respondents to a Forrester survey we commissioned. This highlights a diminished risk appetite among enterprises. Instead, organizations are actively prioritising addressing vulnerabilities and improving visibility and governance across their entire IT landscapes.

This is especially important because any organization looking to implement and scale AI needs a high level of visibility and solid data governance to ensure compliant, high-quality, and secure data pipelines across the entire ecosystem.

Consequently, the way channel partners present value to CISOs has shifted, too. Customers now look for partners that can support their long-term strategies and improve their organizations’ cyber resilience and regulatory readiness, rather than just specific products or features. Partners should evaluate and present modernization solutions through a security lens in order to guide the CISO through the increased scope and responsibility that their role now entails. 

What’s more, the transformation of the CISO into a key figure guiding boardroom conversations is not complete. In fact, Gartner predicts (as cited in an IBM article) that regulatory pressure and attack surface expansion will lead to 45 percent of CISOs expanding their remit beyond cybersecurity by 2027.  

As enterprises are being challenged to modernize faster, strengthen cyber defenses, and govern data more effectively, they will continue to turn to the CISO for strategic guidance.

Channel partners that position solutions around the CISO’s core priorities will thus be better positioned overall to support the CISO in buying decisions, while building long-term trust by alleviating pressures facing the modern security leader.