Chief information security officers (CISOs) and cybersecurity leaders have many responsibilities in their organizations, from designing a cybersecurity strategy to leading emergency management and cyberattack response efforts.

The 2022 annual research study from Nuspire surveyed 200 CISOs and information technology (IT) decision-makers to determine how cybersecurity professionals prioritize their career responsibilities, identify challenges and more. 

"The shift to remote work, a significant increase in threat volume and the ongoing cybersecurity talent shortage are some of the biggest challenges facing CISOs today — challenges they’re expected to address with limited resources," said Michelle Bank, Nuspire’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer. "CISOs are prioritizing their spending based on where they get the most value, and our latest research study shows that CISOs are putting their limited dollars toward staying up to date and optimizing existing technology."

Outsourcing responsibilities can help cybersecurity leaders better manage their organization's cyber defense posture. The top three outsourced cybersecurity measures include:

• Overall security program improvements
• Monitoring, detecting and responding to threats 24/7
• Technology optimization and integrations to ensure the best use of existing technology

Some of the most-often outsourced cybersecurity tasks also overlap with CISO's top cyber priorities. CISOs and IT security decision makers are most concerned about overall security program improvements; monitoring, detecting and responding to threats 24/7; and vulnerability/posture assessments.