From Cyber Controls to Cyber Confidence: Why CISOs Must Rethink Security Maturity

Most enterprises today are well-equipped with cybersecurity tools. Firewalls, endpoint detection systems, SIEM platforms, backup solutions, and compliance certifications like ISO 27001 are already in place.
Yet security breaches, audit observations, and board-level concerns continue to rise.

The gap lies not in the presence of controls, but in the confidence those controls inspire.

In a recent episode of Talks with Kalpana – CXO Spotlight on CXO TV, cybersecurity leaders discussed why many organizations struggle to move from compliance-driven security to true cyber confidence.

According to Krishnamohan Kandhar, Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer at CRIF High Mark, cyber confidence is not achieved by deploying more tools.

“There is no fixed number of controls that guarantees security,” he shared. “What matters is how controls perform under stress.”

Many organizations deploy advanced security technologies but fail to test them in real-world conditions. An endpoint solution may exist, but are alerts monitored at odd hours? Are incidents responded to effectively during weekends or holidays? Are controls continuously tuned, or simply configured once and forgotten?

Cyber confidence, the discussion emphasized, is built only when controls are validated during real attack scenarios—not just during audits.

From an assessment lens, Saurabh Barjatiya, Co-Founder & CTO at CyberVigilens, highlighted that most security failures are operational rather than technological.

Common blind spots include:

“Security is not a checklist,” Barjatiya explained. “Every control has levels of maturity—from deployment to monitoring to response. Many organizations stop halfway.”

The objective, he stressed, is maximum security with minimal disruption, achieved through continuous assessment and validation rather than one-time projects.

A major theme of the discussion was the misconception that compliance automatically reduces risk.

Frameworks like ISO 27001 provide structure, but when treated as documentation exercises, they lose their effectiveness.
“Compliance achieved is not the same as risk reduced,” Krishnamohan noted. “If a control doesn’t help at 3 AM during an incident, it’s not useful.”

True governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) programs must remain active between audits, continuously aligned with evolving threats and business realities.

Many organizations operate in “audit season mode”—intense security activity before assessments, followed by long periods of inertia. This approach creates a false sense of security.

Cyber confidence comes from:

Periodic validation builds confidence only when conducted transparently, not just to satisfy reporting requirements.

Beyond technology, both leaders emphasized the importance of security culture. Tools alone cannot compensate for weak awareness or disengaged employees.

Effective organizations embed cybersecurity into daily behavior through continuous training, simulations, reminders, and leadership reinforcement.

“Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility,” Krishnamohan said. “Awareness is often the strongest control.”

The session concluded with a powerful takeaway:
Cybersecurity maturity is not about ticking boxes—it is about confidence, evidence, and consistency.

Organizations that move beyond static compliance and adopt continuous assurance are better positioned to earn board trust, meet regulatory expectations, and withstand real-world cyber threats.

📺 Watch the full episode of Talks with Kalpana – CXO Spotlight on CXO TV to hear deeper insights from security leaders shaping the future of enterprise cyber resilience.