Tack on another "C" in security function.

• Author: Marshall, Jeffrey
• Position: Management - Chief information security officer, or CISO

As "C" suites have been getting more crowded in recent years, the need for more chairs isn't stopping. There's been the emergence of the chief privacy officer, and more recently, the chief governance officer. Some companies have now added another title: chief information security officer, or CISO.

One CISO, James R. Wade of Key-Corp., the major banking company based in Cleveland, talked recently about the position and what it entails. While he's been at Key for about a year, he was formerly the CISO for the Federal Reserve System (covering the Reserve Banks but not the Federal Reserve Board).

In an interview, Wade--who also serves as president of the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or ISC (2)--said his office oversees what is generally a centralized technology platform in Cleveland, with some added resources in Albany, N.Y. "We see ourselves as a center of excellence," partnering with existing IT staff. His group numbers about 35, two-thirds of whom had been with Key before he joined, he notes.

"What is new is that this is really being focused on gaining an enterprise-wide view; these positions are being created for the C-suite for insights on the security standpoint, as well as a business standpoint," Wade says. "I see this as the proverbial three-legged stool--you have the...