Sunrise on a New Day

The sun rises early in the day in the life of a CISO. There is a sense of anticipation as you consider yesterday and reflect on where you will focus your energies today.

There is a catalytic aspect to sunrise that is both refreshing and tiring. While you physically feel fresh from your sleep, there is also a reload of your short-term memory’s to-do list. This shift kicks your brain into action.

Figure 1.1: Sunrise (photo credit – David Gee)

As your brain shifts into ‘on’ mode, in a microsecond all the relaxation of sleep and family life comes to a sudden end. As CISO, you are in a dream job that you have worked your entire career to attain, but with the pressure and stress of the role, you may not appreciate it. How, then, do you make this position fulfilling and enjoyable? The last thing you want is to dread your work as this is such a large part of your life and everyday activity.

This book was designed to provide glimpses into the days of CISOs from around the world. The CISOs and other cybersecurity leaders who have contributed to this book come from different industries, countries and backgrounds. Some have been born into cybersecurity as ‘lifers’ and others have reinvented themselves and moved into this domain.

Their stories and their life lessons are what I have aimed to capture in this book. This is not meant to be textbook cybersecurity, but how each of the leaders has learnt to succeed and overcome their own personal challenges. The insights that you will gain from this book will be a collection of ‘aha’ moments, probably with some ‘I already knew that’ moments too. Either way, you will learn from ~740 years of accumulated experience.