Fortune 500 firms boost security leadership & pay, report finds
IANS Research and Artico Search have published a snapshot report presenting key findings on how Fortune 500-sized companies are designing their security organisations and compensating security leaders.
The report, based on proprietary data collected from 1,500 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and security professionals, reveals new trends in organisational structure, staffing budgets, and leadership compensation within large enterprises. This preview will precede the forthcoming 2025 Security Organisational Design Benchmark Report.
Organisational structure
According to the snapshot, Fortune 500 companies have increased the depth of their security leadership hierarchy. Typically, these organisations now maintain four or more layers of leadership and appoint dedicated heads for subfunctions such as Security Operations (SecOps), Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC), Identity and Access Management (IAM), and Architecture & Engineering.
More than 40% of the surveyed enterprises have created dedicated deputy CISO roles, signalling a shift toward more robust succession planning and operational depth at the senior leadership level. The deputy CISO position, which often acts as the chief CISO's right hand and potential successor, is becoming more common and formally defined in enterprise environments.
Compensation trends
The report highlights that compensation for security leadership roles rises significantly with company size. Heads of SecOps at Fortune 500 companies now receive an average annual cash compensation of USD $307,000. This amount is 25% higher than what their counterparts earn at large enterprises, and 40% higher than those at mid-sized firms.
The findings underscore a trend where organisations are using enhanced compensation to attract and retain skilled leadership necessary for large-scale security operations.
Board engagement
Direct engagement between CISOs and company boards is now standard practice at this level. The snapshot reveals that 95% of Fortune 500 CISOs have direct interactions with the board. Of these, one-third have regular quarterly meetings with the full board, while more than two-thirds meet quarterly with audit or risk committees.
This level of engagement indicates an increasing recognition of cybersecurity as a strategic board-level issue, with regular oversight and dialogue becoming normative rather than exceptional.
Evolution of the deputy CISO role
The report provides deeper insight into the maturing of the deputy CISO role. Currently, 31% of Fortune 500 organisations have a full-time, dedicated deputy CISO, and another 13% have assigned the title to functional department heads under a joint responsibility model.
This trend points to an increased focus on building resilience and continuity in leadership, as well as distributing operational responsibilities across a broader senior team.
MSSP adoption
Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) use remains prevalent within Fortune 500 firms. Over half make use of MSSPs, especially for essential services such as threat detection and response, incident management, and real-time network security monitoring.
"As cybersecurity organizations scale, CISOs must ensure that their organizational structures support their security strategy," said Nick Kakolowski, Research Director at IANS Research. "This snapshot helps CISOs benchmark their structures against peer organizations and make data-backed decisions to optimize leadership depth, team design, and compensation."
The data suggests that integration of MSSP services is a cross-industry trend among larger enterprises, adopted not just for support, but as a cornerstone of scalable security strategy.
"For CISOs at large companies, the challenge isn't just hiring; it's structuring the organization for scale and resilience," added Steve Martano, IANS Faculty and Partner at Artico Search's Cyber Practise. "Our findings highlight how Fortune 500 firms are redefining leadership layers and compensation models to meet the demands of modern enterprise security."
The snapshot report combines both new and recurring trends aimed at helping CISOs and security decision-makers evaluate their organisation's model against industry benchmarks and adapt to evolving operational needs.
