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The Biggest Gap in Your Cybersecurity Solution

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Cybersecurity threats are on the rise, yet many organizations continue to focus primarily on external attacks such as viruses, malware, and ransomware. They overlooked the most significant source of data breach – insiders handling data as part of their daily work. According to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the global average cost of a data breach reached USD 4.88 million, marking a 10% increase compared to the previous year. With business processes growing more complex and data being shared across global partnerships, protecting data directly is increasingly critical.

The Rising Threat Landscape

While external attacks and malicious insiders often receive the most attention, the majority of breaches stem from negligent insiders and authorized third-party users. Authorized users can inadvertently expose sensitive information through everyday actions like sharing files, uploading data to the Cloud, or emailing business partners. Industries handling sensitive information, such as Aerospace & Defense, Chemicals, and Healthcare, are particularly vulnerable since breaches can impact millions and carry heavy regulatory penalties. 

Technology Trends Increasing Risk

Modern business expectations demand access to data anytime, anywhere, and through any device. Cloud storage, mobile applications, and always-on connectivity improve productivity but expand opportunities for data exposure. Systems are optimized for convenience rather than access control, making it easier for insiders to inadvertently share or mishandle sensitive data and amplify the risk of data breaches.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity Frameworks

Organizations often rely on established frameworks to structure their cybersecurity programs. One widely recognized standard is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which organizes security into five key functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. These functions provide a top-down view of critical security activities, helping teams design and coordinate controls across infrastructure, applications, and processes. 

While these frameworks provide guidance, implementing them in practice can reveal several gaps and challenges, particularly when protecting data at the layer where it is most vulnerable. 

Challenges of Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions

  • Inconsistent Protections: Controls are often applied inconsistently across network, device, and application layers, leaving gaps. 
  • Limited Visibility: Fragmented monitoring across teams and tools reduces insight into data access and usage events. 
  • Data-Level Vulnerabilities: Traditional security protects containers, permissions, and applications, but not the data itself, leaving information exposed during routine business operations. 

The Shift to Data-Centric Security

Industry analysts, like Forrester and Gartner, increasingly recognize the need for a data-centric security approach. By protecting data directly, organizations can safeguard sensitive information regardless of where it is stored, who is accessing it, or how it is shared. This requires understanding data flows, identifying vulnerabilities at the data layer, and mapping them to system- and application-level controls. 

Information Risk Management

Reorienting cybersecurity around the data layer enables organizations to proactively identify risks and manage data vulnerabilities. Directly protecting data ensures that even with complex infrastructure and diverse user access, sensitive information remains secure. 

Protecting data is no longer optional – it is the foundation of a resilient cybersecurity strategy. Read the full white paper to understand why a data-centric security approach is critical and how organizations can address the biggest gaps in their cybersecurity strategy.

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