The silent pain of CTOs: security, agility and cost in precarious balance

Digitalisation has brought with it extraordinary opportunities for medium-sized and large companies. But it has also put enormous pressure on the shoulders of technology managers.

As a marketing director at a cybersecurity company, I am fortunate enough to speak to CIOs and CTOs from all sorts of industries every week. And in every case, the same pattern is repeated: the difficulty of balancing three factors that are essential today, but are in constant tension.

1. Real security (not just pretending to be protected)

In 2025, no CTO can afford to look the other way on cyber security.

The threat is no longer abstract or eventual. It is daily, complex and constant.

Regulations such as NIS2, ENS, DORA or GDPR no longer just require action, they require proof of action.

But protecting an organisation requires resources, time... and often, changing the way the company operates.

This internal cultural resistance is one of the biggest enemies of security.

2. Transformation without slowing down the business

IT leadership continues to pilot:

• Cloud migrations
• Modern infrastructures
• New collaborative environments
• AI integrations

...all with limited budgets, overstretched teams and shrinking timelines.

Innovating while keeping the core running is a constant tension.

Every change introduces temporary vulnerabilities, new attack surfaces and increased reliance on third parties.

3. Cost, control and ongoing justification

Transparency in IT costs is no longer optional.

Executive committees demand to see:

• The return on every initiative
• Software contracts
• Renewals and services

The ‘why’ of every technical decision

In addition, many CIOs are faced with:

• Dependence on key people unaware of the value their work brings to the business
• Poor documentation and employee training
• Non-standardised processes

All this reduces responsiveness and hinders scalability.

The modern CTO needs partners, not just suppliers.

At GrayHats, we see this more and more clearly every day.

The future of IT management is not sustained by suppliers with closed catalogues, but by strategic allies who are involved in the day-to-day challenges you face.

We propose three pillars:

✅ Designing secure architectures that work over time.

✅ Automate all those processes in which human beings do not contribute value and/or cannot achieve such a degree of control.

Accompany teams with real and customisable technical support.

Companies no longer need 80-page reports that no one applies or reads.

They need someone to go ahead and get wet with them. Cybersecurity is no longer an option.