Page 158 - Cyber Defense eMagazine April 2023
P. 158

An ROAI approach considers the effects of a firm's auditing efficiency to mitigate contract amendments
            and business disruptions. Cybersecurity auditing firms offering 5% or less for the number of amendments
            they can propose to a contract after an agreement is made typically deliver high-quality audits without
            any  of  the  added  costs  or  headaches.  This  is  because,  as  uncovered  with  ROAI,  they  have  the
            confidence, resources and expertise to customize to customer needs within a certain price range.



            Ditching the “bolt-on” cybersecurity assessment


            General  administrative  efficiencies  go  hand  in  hand  with  auditing  efficiencies  for  IT  teams.  No
            cybersecurity operation is the same. Thus, auditing programs must possess the flexibility and scalability
            to adequately integrate into and meet the needs of each business's unique digital infrastructure.

            Low-cost audit firms often lack the agility and resources to adapt to quickly evolving business needs or
            meet  the  varying  requirements  of  different  regulatory  bodies.  These  firms  often  use  predetermined
            auditing templates that negate customization to provide a tailored experience for a CISO's team. These
            templated  auditing  programs  can  also  be  another  way  for  low-cost  cybersecurity  firms  to  charge
            additional fees for adjustments needed to remediate auditing needs or for implementing processes to
            solve for inaccurate or imprecise audit results.

            When choosing a cybersecurity auditing partner, CISOs must weigh a firm's agility and ability to provide
            fast,  efficient  and  personalized  auditing  programs  to  adapt  to  their  business's  evolving  needs.
            Additionally, auditing firms that offer highly flexible and scalable assessment programs can often cover
            auditing  requirements  for  any  regulatory  agency.  This  enables  companies  to  implement  a  cohesive
            cybersecurity auditing program, partnering with a single assessment firm—reducing the time wasted and
            complexities of finding and working with multiple firms.

            By assessing cybersecurity needs beyond cost, CISOs will discover the administrative value they can
            find in their cybersecurity assessment, leading to less time spent preparing for an audit; less time spent
            educating  your  auditors;  less  time  spent  responding  to  duplicate  requests;  and  less  time  re-writing
            reports.  This,  in  turn,  streamlines  cybersecurity  assessment  processes,  which  reduces  workloads,
            eliminates business disruptions and leads to unforeseen cost savings later downstream.

            For companies that want to uplevel their cybersecurity compliance programs, the cost cannot be the sole
            consideration. By making cost a small component of your company's larger security narrative and using
            ROAI  measurements,  CISOs  can  take  a  more  strategic  approach  to  risk  assessment.  Choosing  a
            cybersecurity compliance program based on expertise, flexibility and scale ensures IT teams are not only
            getting the efficiencies and agility necessary to keep up with ever-evolving compliance needs but are
            also gaining a knowledgeable and trusting auditing partner to help navigate their cybersecurity journey.












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