The Business Security Landscape: Doom, Gloom ... and Opportunity?

There is no doubt we often find ourselves in what appears to be a cycle of endless problems for which solutions cannot come fast enough. The global political and economic climate is a perfect example of this.

Supply chain attacks on organizations continue to skyrocket as savvy threat actors seek to penetrate vulnerabilities in organizations’ value chains to steal valuable data and compromise networks. In addition, the ongoing economic downturn is facilitating a rise in ransomware attacks as opportunity is too lucrative for attackers to resist.

As security complexities grow, standalone tools that lack integration to complementary systems are giving CISOs more headaches than value, thanks to increasing overhead. The economic climate plays a key role here, as well, and organizations are being pushed to reduce expenses. But at what cost? (Pun intended.)

Security fatigue is also on the rise as the “good guys” grow weary of fighting a battle they aren’t sure they can win. This in turn creates conflict between management expectations and security teams’ ability to deliver. And, to top all of this off, there’s an ongoing struggle to find IT and security talent trained to take on these unprecedented challenges.

Doom and gloom indeed. Where is the opportunity in all of this?

It’s Time to Recalibrate

Amid the chaos, organizations have an opportunity to recalibrate. John Grancarich, Fortra EVP of strategy and our technology visionary, shared in a recent conversation that organizations need to shift from a “How much can I protect?” approach to a “What is most critical to protect first?” mindset. This will help improve allocation of resources and preserve value in the process, helping overburdened security teams alleviate their constant sense of being overwhelmed.

With this view as a foundation, organizations can further recalibrate by embracing a shift from product to platform. The goal is to allay the ongoing complaints of too many vendors, too many products, not enough integration and not enough optimization.

The default approach to these issues has been to continue chasing talent. But that approach has proven elusive and, frankly, broken. It’s time for a different tactic. The way forward is for the industry to shift from fragmented point solutions to modular, holistic platforms that offer a simpler user experience with a more comprehensive and integrated set of capabilities.

So, the result of this approach is consolidation of vendors and products with increased interoperability and optimization? Yes, please!

The Importance of Process

Another powerful lever to pull during a recalibration is a renewed focus on process. Not process for the sake of process, but optimized procedures that allow security teams to mature their capabilities to align with and drive the business. The beauty of this is that it’s possible for organizations of any size.

Process maturity can be greatly enhanced when a security team is consistently looking for ways to support the business with strategies that drive long-term success. This includes high-visibility initiatives such as ongoing security awareness programs (versus “check the box” annual or bi-annual training) that keep security and compliance realities top of mind for employees. This is a great way for security teams to achieve a measurable return on investment, as employees are able to handle sensitive information more effectively and spot enhanced phishing techniques.

There’s an old saying: “Many hands make light work.” And while that mantra applies to a lot of daily tasks in life, managing the complexities of the cybersecurity landscape is not one of them. For that effort, I would contend that “disciplined minds doing the right work” is the best way to go.

Renee Ritter is vice president, Channel, Fortra. This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.