CIOs and CSOs are emerging as strong custodians of infra, data, apps, clouds and devices at their organizations in 2025. Their roles have expanded to accommodate new challenges, with risk management, securing AI-enabled technology and emerging technologies being added to their plate.
As data increases at the rate of 30 to 40%, the challenge for CIOs and CISOs is the fact that cybersecurity budgets are not increasing to protect the security data, says Kash Shaikh, President & CEO, Securonix. Especially in the SIEM space, many CISOs do not want to compromise their security posture, yet at the same time, maximize their budgets and its ROI, he adds.
Data Pipeline Management is an effective data routing solution, such as Securonix’s Cyber Data Fabric, that will be vital for managing Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) costs and optimizing analytics, while allowing CIO and teams to segregate different tiers of data and reduce the overall cost.
Artificial Intelligence has sharpened both edges of the sword, as organizations are better equipped to defend against cybersecurity conundrums that are finessed to be deadly, wide-ranging and impact operations and market reputation.
You need AI to fight AI, says Kash. We are increasingly looking at leveraging GenAI, where our solutions provide more automation capabilities for our customers, as well as preventing the threat from AI,” he adds.
The AI Story
In 2024, there was a lot of interest for evaluating technology like AI, but either the technology was not there in terms of ROI, providing the desired efficiency, or CIOs and CSOs didn’t realize the best way of capitalizing on the trend. 2025 is turning out to be pivotal as AI matures in successful use cases, product innovations by vendors and more buy-in by companies.
Securonix has introduced EON, integrating innovations such as insider threat detection through psycholinguistics, exemplifying the industry’s shift towards AI-driven solutions.
In State of the CIO Study 2025 by Foundry, almost 30 percent of the CIO respondents said they will pay a premium for AI-infused security. Kash responds, there are forward-looking CIOs and CISOs embracing AI, and GenAI but the organizations might have concerns, compliance issues etc. and they don’t want their data to be exposed.
In some cases, tech vendors leverage an algorithm or LLMs to use customer data to provide more insights to them. “We provide some functionalities of AI that are included without charging a premium as it will be tied to the level of coverage or the entitlement they have. But for scaling purposes of an AI infused solution, there will be a premium to pay by the organization.”
Securonix platform reinforces AI, and the solutions use both the traditional learning algorithms, as well as GenAI.
The India Market, Rise of MSSP
With the increasing complexity of cyber threats, the role of Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) evolving in the cybersecurity landscape will become more prominent, supporting hybrid SOC models and handling advanced threat responses as per Kash.
Artificial Intelligence is expected to enhance Security Operations Centers (SOCs), improving efficiency and reducing analysts’ workload.
India is critical to US headquartered Securonix, as nearly 50% of the company’s employees are based out of India. “Both from the perspective of customers and the business, as well as our own presence, India is our center of excellence. At our R&D centers in Pune and Bengaluru (in India). we almost doubled our engineers’ count for development in the last year,” informs Kash.
One of the largest banks in India is a Securonix customer, including marquee customers across verticals as the company continues its focus on both the enterprise, large enterprise and MSSP space.
A major challenge for the US, and other regions, is that CISOs and CIOs manage their SOCs, where SIEM is deployed, and are facing a shortage of talent. “They request for MSSP model which provides the skillsets, 24 by 7 coverage and MSSP that can support. Working with all the three hyperscalers, we have almost 25% of our business globally through MSSP model,” says Kash.
Securonix is investing in product innovation, go-to-market initiatives, and dedicating resources in major regions, including India, with laser focus on managed security service providers. “This year, with entrenched plans to develop AI, we will hire AI skillsets in India. The vision over next three years is to have 75% of our global business through MSSP,” he adds.
CIO and CSO as Business Strategist
The CIO – CSO – LOB equation is becoming critical in the evolving threat landscape. 56% of LOBs perceive CIOs as business leaders, and 50% of CIOs view their role as business leaders as per 2025 State of the CIO Study by Foundry.
CIOs are the enablers of the business in terms of technology, whether it is e-commerce that they are responsible for, digitizing the infrastructure, or launching an app as they create new business models within the company. CSOs, on the other hand, protects the brand, which is a business aspect, as their number one priority. If you get compromised, not only the business is impacted, but your brand is also impacted, says Kash.
Kash suggests, “While selecting a SIEM vendor, cost only may not be the best strategy because technologies like SIEM require very specialized, well-established vendors.”
The forward-looking CIOs and CISOs need to embrace AI, and GenAI to drive efficiencies, change the business model and go to the board for budget approvals, he says. CISOs and CIOs should take risks with AI and invest in AI to help their businesses and empower them in their role, says Kash.
The best way to make sure that the product works on a scale, especially for larger enterprises, is to select a vendor that has scale, like Securonix for example.
Another challenge arises if the organization gets compromised using single vendors, like the exposure with a cloud security vendor and the blue screens across enterprises few years ago.
“A CIO and CSO is taking too much risk. Use open technology to make sure you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket and opt for best in class’’ security solutions,’ says Kash.
Securonix is committed to innovating, solving cost challenges, leveraging AI and providing customer service, as we continue to protect the environment of the organizations across the globe in an AI-anywhere world, says Kash Shaikh, President and CEO, Securonix.
