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CISM Has a decentralized security governance model Practice Question
An organization has a decentralized security governance model. The CISO is struggling to enforce consistent security policies across business units. What is the BEST approach to improve consistency?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse a federated model (Option B) with a collaborative governance committee, but the key distinction is that a federated model grants complete autonomy without central coordination, whereas a committee provides structured representation to enforce consistency.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Establish a central security governance committee with representation from each business unit.
In a decentralized governance model, the best approach to enforce consistent security policies without undermining business unit autonomy is to establish a central security governance committee with representation from each business unit. This federated approach ensures that policies are collaboratively developed, agreed upon, and uniformly applied, leveraging cross-unit input to balance security requirements with operational needs. It directly addresses the CISO's enforcement challenge by creating a formal, inclusive decision-making body that drives policy standardization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Allow each business unit to define its own security policies.
Why it's wrong here
Leads to inconsistency and gaps.
- ✗
Implement a federated model where business units have complete autonomy.
Why it's wrong here
Autonomy without central oversight undermines governance.
- ✗
Mandate that all business units adopt the same security tools and processes.
Why it's wrong here
May not fit all units and could cause operational friction.
- ✓
Establish a central security governance committee with representation from each business unit.
Why this is correct
Balances consistency with business unit needs.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISM practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISM exam.