As enterprises grow in complexity, businesses face the ongoing challenge of balancing innovation and expenditure with maintaining robust security. The Business Information Security Officer (BISO) role has emerged as a critical function to address this challenge by bridging the gap between technology, risk, and the business.

Unlike the Chief Information Officer (CISO), who typically oversees the enterprise-wide security strategy, the BISO focuses on aligning security initiatives with specific business units or regions. The BISO ensures that security policies, risk management strategies, and compliance requirements are tailored to the unique needs of the business or region, while maintaining alignment with overall corporate security objectives.

Acting as a trusted advisor, the BISO provides guidance on secure product development, evaluates the security implications of new technologies, and helps business leaders make informed decisions on risk. The BISO also collaborates with the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and the broader risk function to integrate cybersecurity risk into the enterprise risk framework, ensuring that cyber threats are assessed alongside financial, operational, and regulatory risks.

A BISO plays a key role in translating technical security concerns into actionable insights that executives can understand, communicating cybersecurity risk in business terms. The BISO aims to speak in Plain English, helping senior leaders - including the CRO and the rest of the C-suite - understand how security risks impact the organisation’s broader risk profile.

By fostering collaboration between IT, security, risk management, and business functions, the BISO supports necessary security investments within the business unit, while ensuring alignment with enterprise security strategy.

The BISO role is particularly valuable in large, decentralized organizations where business units have distinct operational requirements and regulatory pressures.

Ultimately, the BISO plays a crucial role in enabling business success by ensuring that security is viewed as a strategic enabler, rather than a roadblock. The BISO works in tandem with the CISO, CRO, and risk teams to manage cyber risk within the broader business context.

Further reading