CISO Cognitive Map — Sky Sharma

Core Domains

80+

Responsibilities

Lifecycle Phases

360°

Stakeholder View

24/7

Operational Tempo

∞

Risk Surface

🛡️

CHIEF INFORMATION
SECURITY OFFICER

The Cognitive Core

⚖️

Governance, Risk & Compliance

GRC · STRATEGY · POLICY

Develop & maintain enterprise security strategy aligned to business objectives
Build and govern the Information Security Policy Framework (50+ policies)
Own enterprise risk register; quantify risk in financial terms (FAIR model)
Oversee compliance: NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, FedRAMP, CMMC, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Conduct annual risk assessments & third-party audits
Interface with legal, regulatory bodies, and external auditors
Manage exceptions process & risk acceptance procedures

NIST CSF ISO 27001 SOC 2 CMMC FAIR

🔴

Security Operations Center

SOC · DETECTION · RESPONSE

Lead 24/7 SOC operations — monitor, detect, analyze, respond, recover
Manage SIEM platform tuning: alert fidelity, detection rule engineering
Drive SOAR automation and playbook development to compress MTTR
Oversee threat intelligence lifecycle: collection, analysis, dissemination
Govern Incident Response (IR) program; act as IR commander for P1 events
Track and report KPIs: MTTD, MTTR, alert volume, false positive rate
Coordinate with federal agencies, ISAC sharing, law enforcement as needed

SIEM SOAR XDR CTI MTTD/MTTR

🔐

Identity & Access Management

IAM · PAM · ZERO TRUST

Define and enforce Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) across all access layers
Govern IAM platform: SSO, MFA, adaptive authentication, lifecycle management
Oversee Privileged Access Management (PAM) — JIT access, session recording
Manage user access reviews, role recertification, segregation of duties (SoD)
Deploy identity threat detection: impossible travel, credential stuffing alerts
Drive SCIM/SAML federation and directory services governance

Zero Trust PAM MFA SAML

☁️

Cloud & Infrastructure Security

CSPM · CWPP · CNAPP

Architect cloud security posture across AWS, Azure, GCP multi-cloud estates
Deploy and tune CSPM, CWPP, CNAPP for real-time misconfiguration detection
Define cloud security guardrails: SCPs, landing zones, network segmentation
Govern container & Kubernetes security (image scanning, runtime protection)
Oversee network security: NDR, micro-segmentation, SD-WAN, SASE/SSE
Manage ICS/OT/IoT security domains where applicable

CSPM CNAPP SASE NDR

💻

Application & Product Security

SAST · DAST · DEVSECOPS

Embed security into SDLC via DevSecOps — shift-left from design to deploy
Govern SAST, DAST, SCA, IAST toolchain integration in CI/CD pipelines
Lead Secure Code Review program and developer security training
Run Bug Bounty program and coordinate coordinated vulnerability disclosure
Oversee API security, OAuth2.0, supply chain security (SBOM, SLSA)
Manage penetration testing program (internal red team + third-party)

DevSecOps SBOM SCA Red Team

🗄️

Data Security & Privacy

DLP · DSPM · GDPR · CCPA

Build data classification framework: Public → Confidential → Restricted → Secret
Govern DLP/DSPM controls across structured & unstructured data at rest/transit
Lead encryption strategy: key management, tokenization, HSM governance
Align security program to GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, state privacy laws
Oversee data rights management: DSAR handling, consent management
Govern database activity monitoring (DAM) and data lineage visibility

DLP DSPM GDPR CCPA HSM

⚛️

AI Security & Quantum Readiness

AI GOVERNANCE · PQC · EMERGING RISK

Govern AI/ML security: model poisoning, adversarial inputs, LLM prompt injection
Build AI Risk Framework aligned to NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, CISA guidance
Lead Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) migration roadmap — CRYSTALS-Kyber/Dilithium
Conduct "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" threat analysis; prioritize crypto agility
Assess risks from synthetic media, deepfakes, AI-generated phishing
Evaluate quantum-safe key distribution (QKD) and cryptographic inventory

PQC AI RMF Crypto Agility LLM Sec

🤝

Vendor & Third-Party Risk Mgmt

TPRM · SCRM · DUE DILIGENCE

Operate TPRM program: vendor risk tiering, security questionnaires, SIG/CAIQ
Review and negotiate security terms in vendor contracts and MSAs
Govern supply chain risk: hardware/software bill of materials, trusted suppliers
Conduct continuous monitoring of critical third-parties via attack surface tools
Manage fourth-party concentration risk and sub-processor visibility
Respond to SolarWinds/MOVEit-style supply chain compromise events

TPRM SCRM CAIQ SIG

♻️

Business Resilience & BC/DR

BCP · DR · CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Own Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) programs
Define and test RTOs and RPOs across all critical business systems
Lead tabletop exercises, red team simulations, and full DR failover drills
Govern ransomware response playbooks; manage immutable backup strategy
Crisis management: executive communication, media response, regulatory notification
Align resilience plans with ISO 22301 and NIST SP 800-34

ISO 22301 RTO/RPO Tabletop Ransomware

👥

People, Culture & Awareness

SECURITY CULTURE · TALENT · TRAINING

Recruit, develop, and retain world-class cybersecurity talent across all teams
Run Security Awareness Training (SAT) program; phishing simulations quarterly
Build a security-first culture across all business units and regions
Define security team career frameworks, certifications roadmap (CISSP, CISM, etc.)
Drive executive security briefings; train board and C-suite on cyber risk literacy
Manage insider threat program — behavioral analytics, HR collaboration

SAT CISSP CISM Insider Threat

📊

Executive & Board Communication

BOARD · C-SUITE · METRICS · ROI

Present quarterly cyber risk reports to Board Audit/Risk Committees
Translate technical risk into business/financial impact language (EAL, ALE)
Build and manage annual security budget; ROI justification for investments
Define CISO security dashboard: risk posture KPIs, maturity scores, coverage
Advise CEO/CFO/GC on cyber insurance, M&A security due diligence
Respond to security-related investor inquiries and ESG reporting requirements

Board Reporting ALE/EAL Budget M&A SecDD

🔍

Vulnerability & Threat Mgmt

VM · TVM · ASM · PENTESTING

Run enterprise Vulnerability Management (VM) program with risk-based SLAs
Govern Attack Surface Management (ASM): external exposure, shadow IT discovery
Prioritize patching via CVSS, EPSS, and business criticality weighting
Run red team/blue team/purple team exercises to validate security controls
Respond to zero-day advisories with emergency patching protocols
Maintain vulnerability metrics: remediation SLA compliance, mean time to patch

CVSS/EPSS ASM Purple Team Zero-Day

CISO Security Lifecycle — Continuous Operating Model

🔭

Identify & Inventory

🛡️

Protect & Harden

🔍

Detect & Analyze

⚡

Respond & Contain

🔄

Recover & Restore

📈

Measure & Report

🚀

Evolve & Innovate

Security Program Maturity Dimensions — CISO Ownership

Threat Intelligence

92%

Zero Trust Adoption

78%

Cloud Security Posture

85%

DevSecOps Integration

71%

Third-Party Risk Mgmt

80%

Data Classification

88%

AI/ML Security

65%

Post-Quantum Readiness

42%

Security Awareness

90%

Incident Response Speed

87%

CISO Stakeholder Ecosystem — Reporting & Accountability

Board of Directors

Audit / Risk Committee

CEO

Primary Reporting

CISO

YOU · Security Executive

CTO / CIO

Tech Partnership

CFO / GC

Budget & Legal

Director

GRC

Director

SOC / IR

Director

IAM / ZT

Director

Cloud Sec

Director

AppSec

Director

Data Sec