Page 102 - Cyber Defense eMagazine forJune 2021

What Does a CSO Do and How it’s Different to CISO?

By Anurag Gurtu, CPO, StrikeReady

A CSO is an employee who is responsible for cyber, physical security and risk posture of an organization.
The primary job of CSO is to protect infrastructure, assets, people, and technology. An organization's
assets can be physical such as electronic devices, buildings, or shipping containers. Moreover, an asset
can be digital such as trading documents, intellectual property, or software. The importance of the CSO
role has increased in the last few years because of the dramatic growth in information technology.
Many times, people confuse CSO for CISO, but the fact of the matter is that both of these roles are
different, and here’s everything you need to know about it.

CSO Vs. CSO
CSO stands for chief security officer, and as mentioned, a CSO is responsible for the organization’s safety
and security. Moreover, CSOs also ensure the technological and physical stability of a corporate sector.
That’s why they need to understand and use different tools they need to use in order to ensure security.

On the other hand, CISO stands for a chief information security officer. The primary job of CISO is to
recognize and track the threats that an organization is facing, and help protect its data and information.

Here are some important points regarding both of these positions that will allow you to understand these
roles better.

• A CSO is liable for the overall security of an organization, which includes risk

Cyber Defense eMagazine – June 2021 Edition 102
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