Cybersecurity Organizational Structure

How To Create an Effective Cybersecurity Organizational Structure

Organizations receive immense pressure from investors, governments, and regulators to improve cybersecurity measures. With businesses taking integral roles in domestic and international economies, it makes sense that formal bodies and individual partners would be interested in corporate governance and security management structures.

Digital assets, especially sensitive data, represent a high risk to corporations. With the growing threat of cybercriminals and a competitive market for a limited talent pool, companies must reconsider their infrastructure and make cybersecurity a priority.

Governance, compliance, and cyber risks determine a business’s feasibility in the modern market. A company’s ability to showcase transparency, authority, and competency in cybersecurity can attract talent and investors, propelling it toward growth.

Developing a cybersecurity organizational structure is a purposeful and driven act; it requires cooperation from the board, executives, managers, and employees. Everyone must engage with new protocols and best practices to defend against digital threats. In addition, cybersecurity requires a team of qualified individuals and might also include the services of security and compliance enterprises. First and foremost, developing an organizational structure around cybersecurity measures demands teamwork.

A Changing Landscape

The traditional network perimeter — the boundary between a company’s intranet and the internet — does not fit modern workflows. Endpoints, or remote access devices, are commonplace within the organizational structure. Employees now use laptops, mobile devices, and desktop computers to connect to company networks while off-premises, increasing exposure to cyber threats.

The change in labor practices and the inclusion of remote positions can lead to zero-trust strategies and robust authentication practices in a cybersecurity organizational structure. This aggressive approach has an assumed-breach characteristic, meaning everyone acts as if a breach is imminent, remaining on high alert and practicing strict security protocols.

There is nothing wrong with a zero-trust strategy; it can be a practical approach in many ways. Still, there are potential complications, specifically with production. If every employee must adopt strict security practices, it inevitably slows down performance due to the added steps.

The digital and business world is changing. Many companies now utilize continuous delivery models and allow flexible work schedules for employees. The changes in operations affect not only cyber threats but also security professionals who must adopt new strategies and work more closely with individuals who may not understand the intricacies of cybersecurity.

Crucial Roles

A cybersecurity organizational structure depends on effective leadership and multiple lines of defense, which correspond with different teams of divisions. The chief information security officer is the senior-level or executive officer overseeing an organization’s technology, information, and cybersecurity.

Whether a company has a CISO position often depends on its size. Many smaller operations do not have an executive role but do have a Director of Cybersecurity who handles primary CISO responsibilities.

A CISO oversees all primary IT security operations and has teams and possible division heads contributing to the management and execution of security protocols. The standard teams or divisions overseeing company information encompass 12 primary functions:

1. Policy and Standards
2. Security Architecture
3. Security Operations Center
4. Security Compliance Management
5. Data Security
6. Infrastructure and Endpoint Security
7. Application Security and DevSecOps
8. Identity Management
9. Threat Intelligence
10. Posture Management
11. People Security
12. Incident Preparation

Beyond the functions of a cybersecurity organizational structure is the division of operations. Cybersecurity has three standard lines of defense: risk management, risk oversight, and independent assurance.

The first line of defense is reactive; it responds to incoming threats and manages the risk by patching vulnerabilities or repairing issues as they arise. A company may have a dedicated security team, or it may have a network team playing double duty.

Risk oversight is focused on security governance, or policies and standards; this is the proactive division. The team defines the roles and responsibilities of every security player and helps plan and facilitate security strategies.

Finally, independent assurance may come from an internal or external team. The division is responsible forauditing the company’s networkand assuring senior-level executives and the board of directors that a security program is effective.

Potential Partnerships and Tools

Beyond establishing crucial roles for a cybersecurity organizational structure, a business should consider the benefits of outsourcing some cybersecurity and compliance roles. Many companies cannot afford an in-house security department but can afford to contract a third-party security business or platform.

An automated platform allows an organization to centralize critical information, allowing for data aggregation and reporting with actionable insights. A company can gain visibility over its current infrastructure and risks through platform integration.

Finally, with its continuous compliance updates, a platform like Compyl can help companies with regulatory changes, ongoing risk management, and vendor onboarding. Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the budget to fund an entire security division, but they can likely afford an all-in-one platform that takes on the role of a virtual CISO.

Sustainability

Any cybersecurity structure must be feasible and sustainable. A company should never integrate an advanced and robust division if profit margins do not permit it; instead, the business should look for more affordable solutions that provide the same level of protection as an in-house team. Third-party or external security services can offer a similar level of security as in-house teams but without the financial burdens of additional wages, benefits, and liabilities.