Cybersecurity is a complex field that, even now, can be vastly misunderstood by stakeholders in the surrounding business functions.
The reality of security leaders' situation, however, is that they are not operating in a vacuum, and with the ultimate goal of maintaining or even improving the organization's ability to continue running well and executing on its mission.
This is de-facto reflected in shifting mandates and priorities for CISOs at organizations of all sizes.
source: Evanta
Compared to the previous year, Increasing Operational Efficiencies and Productivity moved up to the top enterprise priority for CISOs, taking the place of Reducing Risk, which went from #1 to #2. This could be related to the high demand for AI solutions, particularly for reducing redundant tasks, finding efficiencies and improving productivity with AI.
Optimizing or Reducing Costs dropped slightly from #3 last year to #4 this year. Interestingly, it still remains solidly in the top five, possibly reflecting the ongoing need to evaluate tools and demonstrate the ROI from security investments.
Increasing Revenue moved into the top five enterprise priorities for CISOs for the first time. This could reflect their overarching goal of creating closer alignment with the business to maximize the value and impact of their initiatives.
With these objectives in mind, here are a few directions you might consider in 2025 to maximize your cybersecurity ROI while maintaining excellent security coverage.
Consolidate and Optimize Security Tools and Vendors
Method: Conduct a comprehensive audit of existing cybersecurity tools and vendors to identify redundancy, overlap, or underutilized controls. Rationalize your security stack by consolidating platforms or choosing multi-functional tools that cover several security domains (e.g., SIEM + endpoint protection + threat intelligence + DR/BCP programs).
Tip: Tabletop Exercises can be an excellent way to quickly identify such gaps or redundancies in the context of a practical breach response scenario.
ROI Optimization: By streamlining security tools, you reduce licensing and maintenance costs, improving cost efficiency. A more cohesive, integrated security architecture also increases effectiveness, reducing the chance of gaps in coverage that could lead to security incidents.
Cost Optimization: Consolidating vendors can lower procurement, integration, and support costs, allowing organizations to focus on higher-impact investments and avoid the complexity and expense of managing multiple tools.
In the experience of our Advisory practice, this approach has reduced annual cybersecurity spending by up to 38%.
These benefits can be particularly pronounced for midsize and enterprise-scale organizations, as the tool and vendor sprawl is usually vast.
Implement a Risk-Based Approach to Cybersecurity Investments
Method: Prioritize cybersecurity investments based on the organization’s risk profile and potential impact, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. Use frameworks like NIST, ITIL, COBIT, or FAIR (here's an in-depth pros and cons analysis of each) to quantify and assess risks across critical assets, systems, and data. This allows for smarter, data-driven decisions on where to allocate resources.
ROI Optimization: By focusing on the highest-risk areas, you maximize the impact of each security investment, ensuring that resources are directed toward mitigating the most significant threats, thus improving overall security posture without overspending.
Cost Optimization: A risk-based approach helps avoid over-investing in areas that don’t pose significant risks, allowing funds to be reallocated to areas that provide the greatest return in terms of risk mitigation.
Conclusion
Nobody likes requesting higher budgets without the data to back up the ask - demonstrating your commitment to strengthening your company's security posture while simultaneously exercising an admirable degree of fiscal responsibility can be a winning strategy as we head into the economic headwinds of 2025.
We urge you to consider it, completing your puzzle of likely increased investments in GRC, Cloud Security/CASB and Data Loss Prevention initiatives in this coming year.
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Yours truly,
The ORNA team
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