Adaptive Technologies and the Next Cybersecurity Frontier
Exploring the Evolution of the CISO Role, the Emergence of Quantum Computing, and AI’s Transformational Influence
Going through my week, I kept running into all sorts of scenarios showcasing how technology keeps adapting and getting adopted at breakneck speed in the business world. It’s truly awe-inspiring how quickly innovation moves forward. Cybersecurity isn’t immune to these shifts; in fact, our field has to enable and absorb them as we go. Historically, we’ve tackled plenty of challenges—security’s function, its role, its mandate—all sorts of fundamental questions.
Ten years ago, everything I just mentioned was in its early adoption phase. But now, heading into the end of the first quarter of 2025, we’re finally seeing the fruits of our labor. Cybersecurity within businesses has matured because the people who’ve been at it the longest have laid down the groundwork, defining what the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) does.
The trick is, CISOs aren’t defined uniformly across every organization, industry, or region. Some security programs are minimal internally and huge externally (think companies dealing heavily with customers), while others take an entirely different approach.
Growth of the CISO Role and Examples of Maturity
We’ve seen the evolution of roles like the BISO (Business Information Security Officer)—that’s a great indicator of progress. One shining example is Equifax, where Jamil led a major transformation: building an internal security team, establishing product security, and setting up a customer-facing liaison to address security questions, vulnerabilities, and risks. This is a perfect snapshot of a mature approach.
By contrast, some companies have grown an internal team with multiple layers of management, subdividing responsibilities and making the security function robust. Meanwhile, smaller CISOs might only have a dozen or so people on their team. They have to be more agile, take a few extra risks on automation or product deployment, and lean on strategic security partners—because there’s just a lot of ground to cover. All these variations underline how “undefined” the CISO role still is, and how much collaboration it truly demands.
Evolving Skill Sets: From “Geek” Stereotypes to Communication Powerhouses
I recall a time (maybe a decade ago) when many CISOs didn’t necessarily have top-notch communication skills. A few, like Wes Knight, Tim Callahan at Aflac, and Ron Green at Mastercard, stood out as great presenters and communicators. They could really get the business on board with security strategy. That ability set them apart, especially as the field matured.
Back then, people often assumed CISOs must be “geeks” or “former hackers.” Sure, that existed on the fringes, but it wasn’t the mainstream. In big companies, CISOs often came from legal or compliance backgrounds, because security used to be seen as a “compliance” thing—less of a business enabler. Fast-forward to now, though, and we see an entirely new synergy: cybersecurity is front-and-center in business operations and requires constant collaboration. It’s a seat at the table for nearly every major decision.
Example: When businesses talk about adopting AI, a security person should be there from Day One, figuring out how AI use cases align with (or threaten) the company’s security posture. In industries like banking, it’s similar with fraud prevention: soon enough, cybersecurity and fraud might merge because one heavily depends on the other (especially with fake identities, social engineering, and so on).
Essential Skills for Collaborative Environments
In today’s world, cybersecurity leaders and practitioners alike need more than technical knowledge. Success demands a broad skill set tailored to cross-functional teamwork and stakeholder engagement. Some key capabilities include:
Effective Communication: The ability to translate complex technical risks into business-friendly language is vital. Whether speaking with executives, legal teams, or frontline staff, clarity and persuasiveness foster trust.
Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and empathizing with colleagues’ perspectives can help resolve conflicts and build stronger alliances. This is especially important when dealing with different departments or external partners.
Business Acumen: Grasping the company’s goals, financial metrics, and operational priorities ensures that security initiatives align with broader objectives, making collaboration smoother and more impactful.
Negotiation and Influence: As a security leader, you’ll frequently advocate for resources, policies, or processes. Knowing how to negotiate and persuade stakeholders—both technical and non-technical—can make or break critical projects.
Strategic Thinking: Being able to plan three to five years ahead, anticipate new threats, and identify emerging technologies keeps the organization resilient and fosters effective long-term partnerships.
Technical Breadth and Depth: While you don’t need to be a “former hacker,” a foundational understanding of various security domains (e.g., threat intel, incident response, cloud security) allows you to guide teams effectively.
Equipped with these skills, security professionals are far more prepared to collaborate across the business, drive innovation, and adapt to the constantly shifting tech landscape.
The Next 3 to 5 Years: Manufacturing, OT, and Emerging Risks
Over the next 3 to 5 years, we can expect more changes—some of them driven by policies that bring manufacturing back onshore. That means a surge in automation, robotics, and OT (operational technology). Right now, these are skill sets that our industry lacks at scale. We’ll need to ramp up to keep those new “smart factories” secure. Picture a newly built plant: yes, you’ll have your electricians, plumbers, project managers, and HR folks. But you’ll also need architects, engineers, IT professionals, and security experts. Because in modern manufacturing, you might have 10 people on an assembly line working alongside a suite of robots, sensors, and IoT gear.
This blending of OT and IT introduces brand-new risks. Many adversaries see OT environments as ripe targets since they can cause physical and financial damage all at once. As someone now working in the energy sector, I see how close manufacturing and energy are. It’s critical that we build up the necessary cybersecurity skill sets for OT/IT integration, engineering solutions, and overall innovation.
The Third Industrial Revolution: AI, Robotics, Quantum Computing
Here’s where I tie it all together. Everyone’s talking about generative AI—large language models, automation, robotics, quantum computing. In my mind, these technologies converge to form a third industrial revolution.
Looking Back at the Second Industrial Revolution: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Second Industrial Revolution introduced new sources of power (electricity and petroleum) and major technological achievements like the assembly line. This shift enabled mass production and rapid manufacturing growth, changed how businesses operated, and catalyzed worldwide economic expansion. Entire industries were transformed by the ability to produce goods quickly and cheaply, leading to modern consumer economies. Companies like Ford Motor Company and General Electric seized on these breakthroughs, pioneering mass production and widespread electrification. The workforce, meanwhile, had to adapt, developing new technical skills and moving from small craft shops to large-scale factories. This rapid modernization set the stage for globalization and the rise of multinational corporations.
Now, as we move toward a possible Third Industrial Revolution, quantum computing is picking up steam: major players like Microsoft, Google, IBM, NVIDIA, and Intel are building custom silicon for quantum right now. We see new startups popping up, raising seed rounds, and developing quantum hardware. As soon as someone has a breakthrough, you can bet the 12 to 18 months after will be all about commercialization—stabilizing it and turning it into a profit center.
Once quantum computing merges with AI and robotics, it’s going to transform industries across the board, including cybersecurity. We’ll be able to crunch data faster, predict vulnerabilities and threats more accurately, and automate fixes that used to require manual oversight. It’s like taking every best practice we have now, then supercharging it.
Quantum Computing’s Impact on Business
Complex Problem-Solving: Quantum computers can handle calculations that classical computers would take years or centuries to complete. Industries like finance, pharmaceuticals, and logistics will be able to optimize complex processes (e.g., supply chain routing or molecular modeling) at unprecedented speeds.
Accelerated Research and Development: Companies could rapidly prototype and test products through more powerful simulations. For instance, automakers could streamline electric vehicle battery development, while healthcare researchers refine drugs faster.
Disrupting Encryption and Security: Quantum’s power to break current cryptographic methods means organizations must adopt quantum-safe encryption. Industries dealing with sensitive data—banking, government, healthcare—need to brace for this paradigm shift.
AI’s Far-Reaching Influence
Automation and Decision-Making: AI can parse massive datasets, identify patterns, and make predictions at scale. Manufacturing lines can adjust in real time to optimize output. In retail, AI can manage inventory instantly based on buying trends.
Personalized Experiences: Machine learning models analyze user behavior to offer individualized product recommendations or services (e.g., personalized banking, healthcare diagnosis). This could lead to stronger customer retention and a shift in how businesses think about consumer data.
New Jobs and Skills: Just like the Second Industrial Revolution created whole new job categories, this next era will demand people who can train AI systems, interpret their output, and align them with strategic business goals.
When quantum computing and advanced AI converge, we’ll see leaps in data processing, predictive analytics, and automation. In other words, industries once hampered by manual or time-consuming tasks will find themselves innovating and scaling faster than ever before.
Future Vision (Example): Imagine an entire building constructed by autonomous machines, with one or two human supervisors for quality checks. Could that happen in our lifetime? Could it drastically change skilled jobs in construction, architecture, or engineering? Quite possibly. It all folds back into how we, as CISOs, think about security—constantly three to five years ahead.
Balancing Today’s Fires with Tomorrow’s Strategy
Of course, we still have present-day headaches: identity and access management, zero trust, patching, and vulnerability management—cornerstones of cybersecurity since forever. But these challenges will only get more complicated as businesses adopt new technology at lightning speed. As CISOs, we have to adjust how we handle security, how our programs are built, and how we manage risk.
Yes, I could drone on about this for ages, but let me cut to the chase:
Are we on the verge of a third industrial revolution?
Will AI, quantum computing, and robotics reshape industry?
How will this shift transform cybersecurity?
Will cybersecurity itself become more automated and AI-driven?
I believe once quantum computing and advanced AI are truly here, everything from threat detection to vulnerability management will accelerate. We’ll spot attacks or weaknesses sooner, remediate faster, and ultimately elevate the entire security ecosystem. And this applies not just to cybersecurity; it’ll drive better, data-informed decisions across all business units.
Join the Discussion
That’s my take. I’m reading the tea leaves in my own way, and I’m eager for people to jump in and challenge or affirm this line of thought. Is the third industrial revolution just around the corner? Could human-driven industry be replaced—at least in part—by mechanical, AI-driven processes? If so, what happens to cybersecurity roles?
I’d love to hear your perspectives. Drop a comment, jump in the chat, and share your opinions. Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic rest of your weekend!