This analyst white paper, written by Jon Oltsik of TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group and commissioned by SimSpace, argues that the cyber force platform is becoming a foundational layer of enterprise security programs. It opens with what it calls the CISO triad, the three competing demands of managing risk, running efficient operations, and enabling the business, then uses ESG and ISSA survey data on CISO effectiveness, tenure, and the skills shortage to show why fragmented tooling and manual process leave those demands unmet. It defines five use cases for the category: security baselining, stack optimization, staff proficiency and cyber workforce readiness, continuous testing, and support for initiatives such as Zero Trust. A forward-looking section describes security CI/CD, where changes are validated on the cybersecurity training platform before production. MITRE ATT&CK is referenced throughout. Download the paper for the survey figures and the SimSpace platform section.
ANALYST REPORT
ESG Whitepaper: The Case for Cyber Force Platforms
If there’s one constant in cybersecurity, it’s change. This is true for security teams whether they are called upon to support digital transformation, cloud-native software development, or remote workers. Today, the changes in the threat landscape are driven by growth in ransomware, supply-chain attacks, insidious software vulnerabilities, and state-sponsored cyber adversaries.
In the current environment, it would be an understatement to say that CISOs have a demanding job. These executives are tasked with managing and mitigating cyber risks, protecting critical assets, and detecting and responding to cyber-attacks. In addition, CISOs face a wide variety of audit demands and often struggle to provide appropriate evidence of compliance. Can CISOs keep up? And if so, how?
Research by TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) shows:
- CISOs often fight an uphill battle
- Cyber Force platforms can help level the playing field
- Future Cyber Force platforms will introduce CI/CD to security programs
Aside from the CISO and focus on cybersecurity, Cyber Force platforms can also be a business enabler by helping organizations improve brand protection, accelerate IT and regulatory compliance audits, optimize security investments, and help organizations pursue digital transformation initiatives while minimizing associated cyber-risks. These benefits should be especially attractive to CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and corporate boards.
