Every year in October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month rightfully shines a light on the importance of developing a security-conscious workforce. But for many information security chiefs (CISOs) and cybersecurity professionals, this month may seem like yet another item on an already crowded agenda. And while awareness campaigns are critical, they represent only a small part of what today's cyber leaders must do.
Today's CISO is expected to be a strategist, a risk manager, a technologist, a business communicator, and a crisis responder—sometimes all three. Their responsibilities include compliance with the ever-expanding regulatory framework, oversight of operational security, data protection and governance, and alignment with the wider business strategy. For example, with the introduction of frameworks such as shekels2 And DORAthis role is more intertwined than ever with corporate sustainability and board level accountability.
At the same time, budget constraints continue to challenge even the most mature security teams. Although threats evolve at a rapid pace, investments often lag behind. CISOs are challenged with balancing risk and cost while articulating the business value of prevention, quantifying the return on security investments, and justifying decisions in environments where the measure of success is often invisible (i.e., zero incidents).
Added to this pressure is the constant attention that comes with working in a world of high-profile cyber events. Each breach reported in the media can rightfully raise further questions from boards and clients, but it also reinforces the sense of personal responsibility that many CISOs already feel. The result is a role defined by both strategic importance and emotional intensity.
It's no surprise, then, that burnout among cybersecurity leaders is an increasingly recognized problem. Many CISOs report overwhelming workloads, difficulty disconnecting, and feeling like they're always on-demand. The cognitive load associated with constant vigilance, coupled with limited resources and rising expectations, has the potential to create conditions that become unsustainable without structural changes.
Addressing burnout requires not only an operational shift, but also a cultural shift. Boards and executives must recognize that cybersecurity is as much a technical function as it is a human function. Providing the CISO with adequate authority, realistic budgets and a clear mandate is vital. It is equally important to ensure that they are not isolated, bearing the brunt of operational defence, and that everyone in the business can play their part.
One practical way to ease this tension is to rethink the distribution of responsibilities in the security ecosystem. The CISO's value lies in shaping strategy, translating risks into business terms, and ensuring organizational resilience, not in overseeing every operational detail. By relying on trusted partners and managed service providers with deep technical expertise, organizations can ensure that monitoring, incident response and threat intelligence are performed effectively and consistently to high standards. This allows the CISO and his leadership team to combine partner expertise with an internal focus on governance, risk prioritization, and embedding security into business decision-making rather than being distracted by day-to-day firefighting.
Ultimately, Cybersecurity Awareness Month should not only encourage vigilance among employees, but also raise awareness of the demands placed on those in leadership, especially as the focus on cyberattacks increases. Supporting CISOs means more than just providing budgets and tools; this requires recognizing the strategic nature of their role and surrounding them with the necessary expertise to perform that role effectively. When CISOs are able to lead with clarity and confidence, supported by capable teams and partners, they can turn pressure into progress and deliver the long-term security maturity their organizations need.
Sam Thornton is the company's chief operating officer. BridewellBritish and American cybersecurity consulting company.
