CMO And CISO: The Strategic Alliance Every B2B Tech Company Needs

Forbes

5 days ago

Shashi Kiran is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Check Point Software, with prior executive roles at companies like Cisco and Broadcom.
I recently participated in a CMO-CISO panel that explored these two roles. The discussion was healthy, and I was pleasantly surprised at the questions from the audience to both roles. As I shared some insights with members of my team, it made sense to capture some of these thoughts in an article for broader consumption. In general, the article reflects some of my own observations in roles that I've held over the past few years.
Let's start with the obvious. In the fast-evolving world of B2B technology, roles in the C-suite are blurring. Among the most interesting of these convergences is the increasingly intertwined relationship between the chief marketing officer (CMO) and the chief information security officer (CISO).
What used to be two very distinct domains—one driving growth, the other defending infrastructure—are now deeply linked. Today, both roles sit at the nexus of digital transformation, customer experience, data trust and corporate reputation. And in B2B tech, where deals are large, cycles are long and relationships are sacred, that partnership is no longer optional—it's strategic.
B2B Marketing Is Now A Data Business
For B2B marketers, storytelling has gone digital. Buying journeys unfold across multiple touchpoints—webinars, white papers, email campaigns, ABM platforms and more—all of which collect vast amounts of data. Whether it's firmographic enrichment, behavioral scoring or personalized content delivery, modern B2B marketing runs on data.
And this data isn't just internal anymore. It often comes from integrations with third-party tools, shared CRM systems, intent providers or cookie-based ad platforms. That means exposure. That means risk. And increasingly, that means marketers must have a seat at the table in security conversations—not as bystanders, but as data owners.
Cybersecurity Is A Revenue Issue
On the flip side, the CISO's role in B2B tech has expanded from securing endpoints to protecting the entire digital business—including the customer-facing side.
In a world where vendors are scrutinized not just on capabilities but on how they handle customer data, security is no longer a back-office function. It's a critical pillar in the sales process. One security questionnaire mishandled, one subpar response in an RFP or one breach in the news, and a multimillion-dollar deal could evaporate.
Trust is a currency in B2B tech. And CISOs now help protect it at every stage—from pre-sales diligence to onboarding to ongoing customer success.
Why CMOs And CISOs Must Collaborate
B2B tech companies thrive on long-term relationships, not one-off transactions. This makes the alignment between marketing and security even more crucial.
The blurred boundaries between marketing and security mean these two leaders must work together like never before. Here's why:
Shared responsibility for customer trust: Both roles are now on the front lines of protecting (and enhancing) trust—marketing through messaging and engagement, security through privacy and protection.
Joint ownership of the digital experience: Every new app, web form, personalization tool or data-driven initiative must be both engaging and secure. That requires marketing and security to co-design digital experiences, not work in silos.
Regulatory and reputational alignment: CMOs need to understand the security implications of their data usage. CISOs need to understand the business impact of risk. Together, they can build strategies that are both innovative and compliant.
Speed with safety: Marketing moves fast—campaigns launch overnight, trends shift in days. Security, traditionally slower and more methodical, must adapt to support this speed without compromising protection. That requires true partnership.
Making The Partnership Work
For B2B tech companies looking to foster tighter alignment between CMO and CISO, here's where to start:
Speak each other's language: CMOs should gain a working knowledge of cybersecurity fundamentals, while CISOs should appreciate the urgency and agility of modern marketing.
Embed security early in go-to-market initiatives: Don't bolt security on after the fact. Bring the CISO in at the planning stage of new campaigns, platforms or tools.
Create shared dashboards: Jointly monitor metrics that matter—from lead quality to consent rates to customer data access audits. Make trust measurable.
Build a culture of co-ownership: Encourage teams to work cross-functionally. Let marketers learn basic infosec hygiene. Let security teams understand martech architectures and lead scoring models.
Tell the trust story—together: Marketing should celebrate security as a differentiator, not just a checkbox. CISOs should partner with marketing to craft narratives that showcase the company's commitment to privacy, governance and resilience.
Foster a culture of collaboration: Cross-functional teams, joint workshops and shared road maps can help dissolve organizational barriers and align objectives.
Final Thought: Building Secure Brands Takes Two To Tango
In many ways, the CMO and the CISO are the new power couple of the digital age. One builds brand love, the other protects it. One generates data, the other safeguards it. Both are now stewards of customer trust—and that's the ultimate strategic asset.
Admittedly, in many organizations the CISO and CIO roles are conjoined, but the matter outlined here still applies, and forward thinking CIOs partnering with marketing can drive substantial differentiation, as I've experienced firsthand.
So if your marketing and security teams still operate in parallel, it's time to change the game. The future belongs to organizations where creativity and security work hand in hand—because in the end, nothing builds a brand like trust, and nothing erodes it faster than a breach.
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