Ask any chief information security officer (CISO) what keeps them up at night and you’ll likely get a familiar list of persistent threats: ransomware, AI-enabled nation-state actors and in-the-wild exploitation of vulnerabilities hiding in an ever-expanding digital footprint. For years, the role has been defined by a state of constant vigilance, a reactive posture against an unending siege.
In nearly every conversation I now have with CISOs, I ask them what they would do if they could reclaim 25% of their time. What I hear aren’t wishes for more tropical vacations. Instead, the responses form a new bucket list focused on innovation and transformation.
Energized by AI’s power and potential, CISOs are creating lists that paint a picture of a new-normal state for security that is proactive, deeply human-centric and autonomous. This isn’t about adding another blinking box to the security stack; it’s a practical — and at times profound — roadmap for re-engineering the very function of security. It’s about fundamentally shifting the paradigm of how security creates value, moving from a cost center to an innovation center that truly enables the business.
Based on my conversations, here are the top three themes that characterize the innovative CISO’s new collective bucket list.
From tactical debt to strategic foresight
Before a CISO can focus on the horizon, they must first solidify the ground beneath their feet. The first theme on every CISO’s list is the desire to build a foundation of excellence that enables truly proactive strategy. This starts with clearing out the tactical debt that consumes so much time. Leaders are eager to finally tackle housekeeping — tying up the 10% of projects left at 90% completion.
In security, that last 10% is far from insignificant. It comprises unpatched systems, misconfigured or neglected cloud assets, and other open doors that attackers could walk right through. These incomplete projects represent not only a persistent security gap but also a significant waste of budget and resources that CISOs are desperate to reclaim.
This foundational work extends to the entire ecosystem. Leaders want the time to analyze all vendor assessments methodically. In an age of interconnected APIs and third-party dependencies, a CISO’s defense is only as strong as its weakest vendor. They are constantly thinking about the next Log4j scenario and know that without a proper handle on supply-chain risk, their entire strategy rests on a house of cards.
Finally, clearing the decks means nailing every last plan of action and milestone (POAM) from their audits. This goes beyond simple box-checking to demonstrating institutional integrity. It proves to the board and to regulators that security is a mature, accountable and continuous process, not just a perpetual game of whack-a-mole played in the wake of a bad report.
By clearing the decks and closing existing gaps, they can shift their focus to the bigger picture: preventative security that stops attacks before they happen. This foundational excellence gives them the credibility and mental space to devote crucial time to the calculus of risk; for example, analyzing whether faster detection capabilities allow them to adjust or dial back specific preventive controls.
It also enables more effective strategic communication with the board, framed in the language of business acceptance and risk tolerance.
Building a unified, integrated defense
The second major bucket list theme is breaking down the silos that perpetually plague security organizations. Application security (AppSec), cloud security (CloudSec) and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) groups all work from different spreadsheets and tools and often with different objectives. This model is inefficient, expensive and leaves massive gaps for attackers to exploit.
CISOs aim to develop innovative processes and solutions that integrate disparate teams. As one leader eloquently described it to me, the ultimate goal is a “beautiful web of automations.” For example, this means automating control evidence across all security tools so that when an auditor requests proof of compliance, it’s generated in seconds — not through a three-week fire drill that diverts 10 analysts from their primary responsibilities.
It’s a vision that allows all security functions to work together seamlessly, with AI correlating data from all sources to provide a single, unified picture of risk.
This integration extends beyond the security team itself. A key priority is bringing “the harmony of security into legal” from a privacy perspective and deeply embedding compliance into security engineering. In a world of GDPR, CCPA and a patchwork of other regulations, privacy is no longer just a legal concern: it’s a core security and engineering challenge. The CISOs want to partner with their general counsels to embed privacy-by-design into the development life cycle, rather than just react to data breaches or privacy requests.
This vision is also pragmatic. CISOs are tired of shelfware — the expensive, complex tools their teams are too busy to deploy correctly. Their list includes time for strategic problem-solving: digging into their existing platforms to find creative ways to up their game, rather than just chasing the next silver-bullet solution. It’s about creative engineering to build an environment that, as one CISO told me, “just works.”
Security as a human-led business enabler
Finally, the CISO bucket list is profoundly human. This begins with a profound shift in mindset, from being a gatekeeper to being a partner. Their ultimate objective is business enablement through effective risk management, freeing leaders from being dragged into operational tasks and allowing them to function as true C-suite peers. This requires investing time in understanding the business by sitting with product managers, joining sales calls and learning what drives revenue.
While AI can automate tasks, it cannot build trust. CISOs are adamant about carving out time for human engagement — building relationships with partners, mentoring associates and collaborating with fellow executives. This is the irreplaceable human work that creates the political capital and cross-functional alignment needed to drive real change.
This human-centric view is also the key to solving security’s most persistent challenge: the talent gap. The bucket list is filled with a passionate desire to invest in people. Internally, this means doubling down on talent that can grow and innovate. CISOs want to provide their team members with the time and budget to obtain the desired education credits and the space for genuine innovation. This isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a critical retention strategy. It’s how they keep their top analysts from burning out due to alert fatigue and empower them to solve the company’s most unique and challenging problems.
Externally, this passion extends to giving back to the community, engaging with middle and high schools to cultivate the next generation of defenders and solving the talent pipeline problem at its root.
By fostering an environment of learning and innovation, CISOs empower their people to achieve the final — and perhaps most important — item on their bucket list: the time to break and reinvent the inefficient security processes they have all observed and been forced to live with throughout their careers.
The future is human-led and AI-powered
Taken together, these bucket list themes paint a clear picture of the future of security leadership. It’s a future where CISOs are no longer just the chief defenders, but strategic business partners who cultivate resilience and enable innovation. Achieving this vision means shifting from chasing alerts to anticipating threats, empowering security professionals to do their most meaningful work and leveraging AI not to replace human expertise, but to amplify it.
The goal is to build a security function that is as intelligent, adaptive and creative as the humans at its core. That is the future we should all strive for.
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