What is the profile of a CISO? Insights for tech marketers

July 1, 2025

By Stacey Cockram, Co-Deputy Head of B2B Technology Marketing & PR, Europe

Being a CISO is a complex role, and knowing how to market to them no mean feat. This blog explores the evolving profile of the CISO, highlighting strategic responsibilities, AI-related challenges, and key insights for tech marketers. Discover the Aspectus Audience Insights report to help build more effective, resonant marketing strategies targeting cybersecurity leaders.

Download our CISO persona insights guide

The evolving role of the CISO

A decade ago, Deloitte revealed the ‘four faces of the CISO’, arguing they needed to be part guardian, part strategist, part advisor and part technologist. These fundamentals still ring true – good CISOs wear many hats. However, the role is always evolving. Take AI as an example; when Deloitte created its initial report, it could never have imagined the impact AI would have (and the challenges it would cause CISOs).

As a tech CMO or marketer, finding a way to reach these busy people and resonate with them is tricky. Who are they really? What drives their decisions in 2025? What can we offer that they will truly value?

That’s why we’ve created the Aspectus Audience Insights, giving you everything you need to know about tech buyer personas. We started with the CIO audience, and our latest visual report delves into the complex minds of CISOs. We focus on the audiences we know inside out, helping you unlock better ideas, build stronger messaging and shape strategies that stick.  

CISOs as strategic business leaders

CISOs today are expected to balance technical oversight with boardroom influence, risk communication and business alignment. IBM explains:

“Instead of implementing cybersecurity, CISOs now focus on helping the organization’s leaders understand the importance of cybersecurity and lead the strategic thought for the organization’s cyber strategy. CISOs bridge the gap between the technical language that comes easily to the IT department and the business language of senior leadership.”

Despite this, our research shows CISOs aren’t the only ones involved in cyber decision-making, raising questions about how effectively budgets are being aligned to actual risk. Less than 50% of CISOs say they play a significant role in strategic planning on cyber investments. It seems, they are just one of many cooks.

For marketers, think about how you can you acknowledge this and help enable them to have those conversations internally.

CISOs as AI realists

Perhaps the biggest spanner in the works for CISOs is AI. As Jonathan Fischbein, CISO at Check Point Software Technologies for Forbes puts it:

“The use of AI both in production environments and in attacks will continue to increase, while the threat landscape itself expands. CISOs, correspondingly, are more important to organizations than ever… For CISOs, this means balancing the pace of innovation against secure-by-design implementation… Security can no longer be an add-on.”

The problem is, CISOs are battling AI threats without the people, budget, or time to respond effectively – and they aren’t afraid to admit it. 78% of CISOs say AI-powered threats are having a significant impact on their organisations, and 89% of CISOs believe AI threats will continue to cause trouble well into the future.

It’s clear CISOs are looking for partners who can simplify and strengthen their AI response strategy. To address AI stress head-on, tech marketers should promote this message and focus on the value their brand can add.

What’s inside the CISO persona report?

The Aspectus Audience Insights CISO edition covers:

CISO investment priorities for 2025: From cloud security to generative AI, what do CISOs want to spend their money on? What are the barriers to investment?
Challenges CISOs face: AI is keeping them up at night, but what other factors are at play?
Skills CISOs need: What will help CISOs be not just tech experts but genuine strategic business leaders?
Content preferences: Which formats resonate most with CISOs?
Key online CSIO communities: Where are they seeking advice and sharing knowledge?
Inspiration for effective marketing: How you can apply these insights to connect with CISOs effectively

Download our Audience Insights: CISO edition report for free

Applying these insights to your marketing strategy

To market effectively to CISOs, you need to delve deeper than the ‘four faces’ and produce campaigns and collateral that truly make them tick. If you’d like to speak to our global B2B technology marketing & PR team about using audience insights like these in your marketing and comms strategy, drop us an email at globaltech@aspectusgroup.com.

About the author

Stacey is Co-Deputy Head of Tech with vast technology and cyber experience, including working with Flexxon, BT and Malwarebytes. She prioritises a multi-channel and audience-first approach for clients that encompasses branding, PR and digital marketing to ensure a cohesive strategy. You can find her on LinkedIn here.

Key takeaways

What is the modern role of a CISO?

CISOs now act as strategic leaders, bridging IT and business strategy, with growing influence in boardrooms and cybersecurity investments – but they still want more strategic input.

What are CISOs’ biggest challenges in 2025?

AI-powered threats top the list, along with budget constraints and limited strategic input in cyber planning.

How can marketers better engage with CISOs?

By understanding their evolving role, investment priorities and content preferences, then tailoring strategies accordingly using data like the CISO persona report.