Over the last decade, the topic of cybersecurity has shifted from being a technical subject to a mainstream topic impacting every facet of the organization. As cyberattacks become increasingly more sophisticated, frequent and disruptive executive leaders now face a new complex blend of issues, including economics, business processes, and psychology.
Hybrid IT is the backbone of modern business operations. Data moves across on-premises infrastructure, cloud environments, and edge computing networks while employees log in from anywhere, accessing critical applications from multiple devices. This operational flexibility fuels growth, but it also expands the attack surface, introducing new security risks that traditional defenses were never designed to handle.
Cyberattacks have grown in sophistication and frequency, so safeguarding infrastructure has never been more critical. Organizations need solutions that prioritize security, streamline operations, and adhere to zero-trust network principles.
A guest writer of WEI, see Bill Frank’s biography and contact information at the end of this article.
Michael Lewis coined the term, Moneyball, in his eponymous book published in 2003 and made into a movie in 2011 starring Brad Pitt. Moneyball was about applying analytics to baseball. Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics General Manager, was the first baseball executive to use analytics to increase the probability of winning games.
The enterprise cybersecurity landscape is currently undergoing a significant transformation. Server platforms are evolving into complex ecosystems with numerous components relying on firmware for configuration and orchestration. This complexity is further compounded by the exponential growth in data generation, both in speed and volume, which is often geographically dispersed, creating additional challenges for management and security.
Time is a precious commodity, something that most people wish they had more of. This includes the security operations center (SOC), as analysts are constantly under pressure to stay ahead of cyberattack methodologies to better ensure business continuity. And as sharp as our experts are, the team at WEI cannot create more hours for the day. Still, we can streamline and automate your security operations to effectively make it seem like we have done just that. Enhanced time efficiency is just one of six proven benefits that WEI, in collaboration with Cortex XSIAM by Palo Alto Networks, can offer.
As business leaders outside of IT continue accepting cybersecurity as a business strategy rather than just as a digital defense mechanism, there are still major vacancies in the cybersecurity personnel pipeline that require addressing. Knowing this, WEI’s advanced security solutions are complemented by a focus on helping replenish the talent pipeline. This commitment is confirmed by WEI’s partnership with CyberTrust Massachusetts, a non-profit organization working to cultivate a robust talent pipeline. The support CyberTrust receives from its higher education consortium members is paramount, especially with the all-new Cyber Range at Bridgewater State University (BSU) opening earlier this year.
See Bill Frank’s biography and contact information at the end of this article.
[Note: This is an updated version of the original article posted on March 21, 2024. I replaced the term "Governance” Controls with “Performance” Controls to eliminate any confusion with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 use of the term “Governance.”
I focus here on automated controls that monitor and measure the “performance” of “Defensive” controls that directly block threats or at least alert on suspicious activities.
How well are your cybersecurity controls performing? Measuring control efficacy is challenging. In fact, under-configured, misconfigured, and poorly tuned controls, as well as variances in security processes are the Achilles Heels of cybersecurity programs.
A mismatch between risk reduction potential and performance results in undetected threats (false negatives) as well as an excessive number of false positives. This leads to an increase in the likelihood of loss events.
All controls, whether people, processes, or technologies, can be categorized in one of two ways – Defensive or Performance.
Businesses face the constant challenge of fortifying their defenses to maintain resilience, productivity, and uninterrupted operations. This is especially important given the world’s increased data breach events, server outages, and the growing volume of data and users accessing their systems.
Inside our IT bubble, leaders are aware of the cybersecurity skills shortage that plagues enterprises. As concerning as this challenge is, it may come as a surprise to the general public despite headlines over record ransoms, data leaks, and network breaches. Simply put, there are many more position openings than individuals available to fill them. This imbalance is creating a security gap that cybercriminals are taking advantage of.
