The world will employ 32,000 CISOs in 2023

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The world will employ 32,000 CISOs in 2023

Headcount of the information security manager Download the report

Steve MorganEditor-in-Chief

Sausalito, California – August 4, 2023

The 2023 CISO Workforce Report is sponsored by Global CISO.

Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that there are now at least 32,000 CISOs employed worldwide. Press release

The good news is that most large organizations have a CISO. The bad news is that most small businesses, and far too many mid-sized businesses, have been left behind and don’t have a full-time leader dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity.

Zippia, compiled from a database of 30 million profiles and checked against Census Bureau data, estimates that more than 7,523 security managers (a term interchangeable with CISO) are “currently employed” in the states -United.



The 2022 Fortune 500 list suggests that the largest companies in the United States contribute approximately two-thirds of the country’s GDP in terms of revenue.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, 100% of Fortune 500 companies and the majority of Global 2000 organizations employed a CISO or equivalent role in 2023, up from 70% in 2018.

There are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, 99.9% of which are SMBs. More than 80% of SMEs are sole proprietorships and have no employees. Despite this, 47 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed by small businesses.

It is estimated that more than 600,000 new small businesses are opened each year in the United States and 100 million small businesses open each year worldwide.

Nearly zero percent of these companies will employ a dedicated security manager, widening the gap between adequate business protection and cyber threats each year.

Learn about CISO demographics, talent shortage, inclusiveness and more. Download the report.

Steve Morgan is founder and editor-in-chief of Cybersecurity Ventures.

Go here to read all my blogs and articles dealing with cybersecurity. Go here to send me story tips, comments, and suggestions.


Sponsored by CISO Global

At CISO Global, cybersecurity is a culture, not a product.

We’re on a mission to demystify and accelerate our customers’ journey to cyber resilience, enabling organizations to grow, operate and innovate securely.

At RSSI, we collaborate with our clients wherever they are in their cybersecurity journey, helping them resolve any current obstacles and adequately anticipate future issues to achieve cyber resilience and create a culture of cybersecurity in the entire organization.

To learn more, visit cisoglobal.com.

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