Defending cyberspace as a CISO

When Angel Redoble shared that the CISO is a noble job, it wasn't quite the response I expected.

But it made perfect sense.

A difficult job

As he shared during our call, the modern CISOs must:

• Accept that it's a difficult job.
• Be emotionally, mentally ready.
• Ready to give up important events.

And those who took on the role of a CISO for the wrong motivations won't last. You know, reasons like:

• Monetary rewards.
• Glamour.
• Title.

The weight of a CISO

And Angel should know better than most, as the former group CISO of the PLDT group; he retired last week - less than a month after we spoke.

During our conversation, he spoke of:

• The link between accountability and authority.
• Balancing governance, risk and operations.
• The importance of hiring the right CISO.
• Having business acumen.

Crucially, CISOs must accept that the job is difficult, he told me.

Securing cyberspace

The job of a CISO is noble because they secure cyberspace.

And today, they face not just teenage hackers, but highly organised cyber criminals and extremely well-resourced state actors.

Quote: “We are very serious in doing our job because it's a very noble job. There are no other jobs – other than the police and the military perhaps – that are about securing and protecting the community. As a CISO, we secure cyberspace.”

Angel remains the chairman of the Philippine Institute of Cyber Security Professionals (PICSPro).

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