Highly regulated industries such as healthcare, financial services and manufacturing now face a rapidly growing attack surface, compounded by an evolving regulatory landscape. Add to this the challenges imposed by budget constraints, skills shortages, outdated tools and increasingly fragmented operations, and the reality becomes clear.
Organizations struggle to effectively align their cyber governance, risk and compliance (GRC) capabilities with broader risk management strategies. These issues not only amplify vulnerabilities but also hinder proactive measures necessary to safeguard business integrity.
Challenges in the current cybersecurity landscape
- Lack of collaboration between teams
- Cybersecurity cannot and should not operate in silos. However, one major hurdle organizations encounter is the lack of engagement between cybersecurity teams and their peers in IT, as well as the broader organization. This disconnect prevents a proactive holistic risk management approach, leaving gaps in communication and response coordination.
- Outdated tools and fragmented systems
- Many organizations still rely on outdated security tools or manage a disarray of disconnected technologies. This not only strains operational efficiency and compounds cost of ownership but creates opportunities for lapses in security processes, making organizations vulnerable to threats.
- Fast-paced technology and resource burnout
- The pace of technological evolution, combined with increasing demand to find and retain skilled cybersecurity professionals and/or upskill existing staff, has led to a pressing challenge—resource burnout. Teams are overwhelmed by the constant need to keep up with both external threats and internal compliance requirements.
What organizations need today and in the future
Building resilience to tackle these challenges requires a forward-looking approach. Organizations must pivot toward governance-driven, technology-enabled and risk-informed strategies. Here’s how:
- Adopt governance-based on established frameworks
- Aligning your cybersecurity program with an industry framework, such as the NIST 2.0 Cybersecurity Framework and ISO27001, provides a structured way to identify, respond to and manage risks. This allows organizations to not only meet compliance requirements but also align cybersecurity initiatives with broader business objectives.
- Leverage automation and best-of-breed technologies
- Automation is no longer optional; it is vital for alleviating resource constraints. Integrating best-of-breed technologies can enhance monitoring, threat detection and reporting processes, enabling cybersecurity professionals to focus on strategic analysis and decision-making.
- Combine compliance with risk management
- Organizations need to shift from a compliance-driven checklist approach to a risk-informed strategy. Continuous monitoring as well as annual risk assessments and pen testing ensure that the organization remains agile and responsive to evolving threat vectors.
- Establish a comprehensive incident response program
- Proactive incident response plans and playbooks with frequent incident response tabletop exercises are essential. Incident response plans must be rigorously tested to ensure operational readiness and organizational awareness under real-world conditions. Integrating your SOC and SIEM providers as part of this process is critical but often overlooked.
Key features of a future-proof cybersecurity program
An effective cybersecurity program is built upon the following pillars:
- Alignment with business objectives and ROI
A robust cybersecurity program should prioritize cybersecurity measures that directly support and safeguard business goals, ensuring a measurable return on investment. - Impact-based risk prioritization
Not all risks carry equal weight. Impact-based assessments allow organizations to prioritize vulnerabilities based on their potential business impact, ensuring resources are allocated where they are most needed. - Framework-based controls for comprehensive coverage
Standardized controls, such as those defined by NIST 2.0 and ISO27001 , ensure comprehensive coverage of all areas while minimizing redundant efforts. Framework-driven governance acts as a foundation for building scalable, compliant and resilient cybersecurity practices.
How Calian can support your cybersecurity program
Calian is a trusted partner for organizations seeking to modernize their approach to cybersecurity governance and compliance. Our deep expertise in cybersecurity governance, risk and compliance and our extensive understanding of complex compliance requirements enable organizations to confidently address their most pressing challenges.
