Intelligence tagged AI

The chief information security officer role has changed more in the last decade than in the three before it. Drawing on the work of Mishaal Khan and of Matthew K. Sharp and Kyriakos “Rock” Lambros, this article traces how the CISO role evolved from a technical, crisis-driven position into a strategic one, and what that shift now demands: translating risk into financial terms, building influence across the business, and designing governance that speeds the organization up rather than slowing it down. The piece closes with questions to help you see where your own organization sits today.

Boards at resource-constrained companies increasingly know they need security leadership, but a $280,000+ executive hire rarely fits the budget. This article makes the financial and operational case for a vCISO as the realistic answer to small business cybersecurity, breaking down the cost gap, the global shortage of practicing CISOs, and the four concrete advantages a fractional model delivers that a single hire can’t match. Readers will come away understanding why this is a scalable leadership structure, not a discount substitute.

Most organizations believe they have a handle on how employees use AI at work, the data says otherwise. This article looks at why banning AI outright doesn't solve the problem, and why an AI acceptable use policy is the more effective starting point for managing the risk. Readers will come away with a clear picture of what that policy needs to include, and what a working program looks like beyond the document itself. 

Echelon Risk + Cyber and Vanta are hosting a live webinar on November 18, 2026, at 1:00 PM EST for security and risk leaders whose organizations are adopting AI faster than their governance can keep up. Connor Snyder (Vanta) and Josh Fleming (Echelon) explain where AI creates blind spots in security and compliance programs, what ISO 42001 and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework mean in practice, and how to move from having a framework to proving your controls work through continuous monitoring, evidence, and expert-led risk management.

AI risk doesn't belong to Security or Governance alone, it lives at the boundary between them. Join Echelon Risk + Cyber and Cranium AI on June 23rd as we break down why misaligned security and governance functions are leaving enterprises exposed, what that misalignment is costing, and how to close the gap. Walk away with six diagnostic questions and a 90-day roadmap to get your teams operating as one.

Join this AI governance webinar with Kelsey Cunningham, Cybersecurity Manager at Echelon, and Katie Nadro, CIPP/US, AIGP at Levenfeld Pearlstein, for practical steps to manage AI risk across security, data protection, and compliance.

In this On-Demand webinar, Echelon’s AI governance leaders, Josh Fleming and Steve Dyson, will break down how smart companies are embracing AI while protecting client data, preserving trust, and staying ahead of evolving compliance expectations.​

Written by Echelon’s Cybersecurity Associate, John Hurd, our guide, "The Security Risks of Generative AI," dives deep into the potential pitfalls and offers strategic insights to help you safeguard your organization.