The Evolution of Cyber Risks in M&A, Rebalancing Approaches and Countermeasures in a Growing Threat Landscape
53% of surveyed organizations report they have encountered a critical cybersecurity issue or incident during an M&A that put the deal into jeopardy, according to ForeScout (“The Role of Cybersecurity in M&A Diligence“). As such, visibility into key risks and determining actionable priorities are critical components of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) lifecycle. Although the role of cybersecurity in M&A, especially during ‘due diligence’ is nothing new to the industry, it is too often seen as a check-box activity, leaving many issues underestimated, unidentified, or even unseen. Today, threat actors are increasingly targeting M&A announcements themselves, or indicators of a potential transaction – to extract leverage – using leaked deal data, phishing schemes, and ransomware to exploit periods of organizational transition and distraction. Now more than ever, organizations must proactively evolve their cybersecurity strategies, rebalancing due-diligence approaches and strengthening countermeasures to keep pace with a rapidly growing and increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. The Pace of Chance As the risk and threat landscape has significantly evolved in recent times, approaches to gain risk visibility and assess business level impacts for M&A has fallen behind. These must steadily evolve to position success and manage risk liabilities that are increasing in impact magnitude, with impacts spanning beyond cyber breaches into large scale reputational damage, costly legal affairs, and impacts to market capitalization for public companies as highlighted examples. Some notable and issues warranting heightened concern include: Change Influencers At a macro scale – heightened geopolitical tensions and geostrategic influences are placing certain industries and demographics at increased risk. This is often the realm of nation state actors or their ‘professional’ affiliates. Impacted organizations may include: Key Areas to Consider Enhancing: 1. Data Ecosystem Leakage and Exfiltration: Shadow IT, and Assets in an ‘under managed’ and/or ‘under configured’ state: Data Boundaries and Operational Processes and Behaviors: 2. Attack Surface and Reconnaissance 3. Legacy Debt Accumulation 4. Technology Licensing Hangovers 5. The Role of The Security Tech Stack In conclusion: In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity is no longer optional in M&A—it’s mission-critical. Organizations must move beyond checkbox due diligence, proactively identifying and addressing risks before they can jeopardize a deal. Only by rebalancing strategies and strengthening defenses can companies protect deal value and emerge more resilient in an era defined by digital risk. In closing:
What to Expect from vCISO Services – Get What You Pay For
Would you invest in a company whose CEO has no financial background, experience making sound business decisions, or a thorough understanding of business risk? Organizations seeking strategic cybersecurity leadership should understand that not all vCISO services are equal. A true vCISO understands business risk, brings executive- level experience, demonstrates proven leadership, and has a track record of building and maturing cybersecurity programs. In contrast, services provided by someone with only technically focused certifications and minimal experience often lack the depth and breadth required for high-impact, governance-driven, risk-based decision-making. As with most professional services, you get what you pay for, and knowing what to expect from a reputable vCISO services provider can help you make the right investment. NOW is the time to begin developing your cybersecurity program from the top down! 1. Strategic Leadership, Not Just Tactical Support A true vCISO does more than help with policies and procedures. They act as a strategic cybersecurity advisor, aligning security initiatives with your business goals. Expect them to: Warning Sign: If a vCISO service only delivers generic templates or “check-the-box” assessments without a long-term strategy, you’re not getting executive-level value. 2. Risk-Based Approach, Not One-Size-Fits-All Cybersecurity isn’t about buying every tool on the market; it’s about understanding your specific risks and applying the proper controls to mitigate them. A seasoned vCISO should: Warning Sign: If the vCISO’s primary output is a long list of tools to purchase, with little focus on governance or process, you may be paying for a “tool broker,” not a trusted advisor. 3. Expertise and Experience That Match Your Needs Not all vCISOs have the same background. Some specialize in cloud security, while others focus on compliance-heavy industries such as healthcare or finance. When evaluating a service, look for: Warning Sign: Beware of low-cost providers that assign junior consultants or general IT personnel under the “vCISO” title. Actual CISO-level experience comes with years of hands-on leadership in cybersecurity strategy. 4. Measurable Impact and Accountability You should expect your vCISO to provide tangible results, not just recommendations. Deliverables may include: Warning Sign: If progress is hard to measure or if you rarely see actionable reports, the value of the service is questionable. 5. The Price vs. Value Equation Like most services, vCISO offerings range from basic policy templates for a few hundred dollars per month to dedicated executive-level leadership at several thousand dollars per month. The difference often comes down to: While a low-cost provider may seem appealing, underinvestment can leave critical gaps that expose your organization to regulatory fines, costly breaches, reputational damage, or customer departure. A skilled vCISO should help you spend smarter on cybersecurity, often saving money in the long run by avoiding costly incidents or unnecessary tool purchases. Final Thoughts A vCISO isn’t just a “cybersecurity consultant”; they are an extension of your leadership team, driving strategic decision-making and measurable improvements in your security posture. When evaluating providers, remember that you truly get what you pay for. A low-cost option may cover the basics, but a seasoned, reputable vCISO brings the experience, strategy, and risk management expertise that can make the difference between a secure, compliant organization and one that’s vulnerable to a subsequent significant breach. AccessIT Group AccessIT Group fulfills this need by delivering true executive-level vCISO services backed by decades of real-world cybersecurity leadership experience, supported by a team of industry experts. Our vCISOs go beyond policy creation and compliance checklists, providing strategic guidance, measurable risk reduction, and executive/board-level expertise tailored to your organization’s unique needs. With proven success in building and maturing security programs across multiple industries and regulatory environments, AccessIT Group ensures you receive the depth and breadth, with risk and governance focus, and business alignment necessary to protect your organization effectively, because when it comes to cybersecurity leadership, you truly get what you pay for. By: Brett Price – vCISO – C|CISO, CISSP, CISM, CISALead Cybersecurity Consultant
Building a Governance-Driven, Holistic Cybersecurity Program
How a CISO or Virtual CISO Can Align Strategy, Frameworks, and Risk Management The latest SANS & Expel survey underscores a critical point: organizations are adopting tools and frameworks, but many still lack the governance, accountability, and risk-based strategy necessary to mature security operations. This is where a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or virtual CISO (vCISO) steps in, offering a solution to these gaps by implementing a governance-driven approach grounded in U.S. or internationally recognized frameworks and risk assessment methodologies. 1 | Governance Begins with Leadership Survey respondents cited executive oversight and governance structures as central to SOC maturity. Yet 24% operate without a formal governance program, relying on ad hoc alignment. A CISO or vCISO plays a crucial role in establishing a structured governance model. This model defines roles, aligns cybersecurity to business objectives, and embeds oversight into the organization’s leadership fabric, providing a sense of security and organization. 2 | Integrating Frameworks for Governance and Maturity Framework Adoption & Role Strategic Value NIST CSF 2.0 74% adoption among respondents Risk-based model for continuous improvement CIS Controls v8.1 Widely implemented in practice Prioritized, actionable safeguards for maturing operational defense ISO/IEC 27001:2022 ~30% of respondents using Governance and risk management integration with certifiable compliance A CISO or vCISO utilizes these frameworks in conjunction to establish a comprehensive and measurable governance program, integrating strategy (NIST CSF), implementation (CIS or NIST SP 800-53), and assurance (ISO 27001) into a unified security architecture. 3 | Advancing Risk Assessments with Modern Methodologies The foundation of any governance-driven program is a robust risk assessment process. While 73% of organizations conduct some form of risk assessment, many lack consistency or alignment to a formal methodology. To mature this practice, a CISO or vCISO should guide evaluations using: These approaches enable a unified, cross-domain view of digital and AI risk, providing leadership with a forward-looking view of threats, vulnerabilities, and business impacts. 4 | Operationalizing the SOC with Unified Oversight 48% of organizations now operate hybrid Security Operations Centers (SOCs), and 47% have increased their reliance on managed services. A CISO or vCISO ensures that these disparate SOC elements, internal staff, MSSPs, and tools are aligned under a single governance model. This includes standardized escalation procedures, playbooks, control testing, and reporting structures tied to business objectives. 5 | Translating Metrics into Governance Outcomes While organizations frequently track: The CISO or vCISO elevates this into board-level reporting by introducing: 6 | Closing the Training and Readiness Gap 43% of organizations lack formal training for their IT and security staff, a major barrier to achieving maturity. A CISO or vCISO drives a training strategy aligned with: Additionally, only 61% of organizations conduct regular cyber-readiness exercises, often limited to compliance checklists. These exercises should evolve into executive-led scenarios that test governance, coordination, and risk tolerance thresholds. These scenarios could involve simulated cyberattacks or data breaches, allowing the executive team to test their response plans and assess the organization’s overall readiness. 12-Month Governance Roadmap: Quarterly Tasks Q1: Launch Security Governance Board Q2: Conduct Risk Assessment Q3: Integrate Frameworks Q4: Build Reporting & Response Final Thoughts A governance-driven cybersecurity program, designed and led by a CISO or vCISO, ensures that risk, compliance, operations, and executive decision-making are connected through a common language. As AI and digital transformation accelerate, security programs must evolve to encompass new threat models, regulatory expectations, and business risks. By utilizing or aligning NIST CSF, CIS Controls, ISO 27001, and AI-specific standards, such as NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001, under a single governance structure, the CISO or vCISO delivers not just security but also accountability, resilience, and strategic value. AccessIT Group helps organizations build, align, and optimize governance-driven, holistic cybersecurity programs by leveraging the expertise of our seasoned vCISOs, Lead Consultants, and technical teams. We go beyond technical controls to embed cybersecurity into the organization’s leadership fabric, defining governance structures, aligning strategic frameworks such as NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001, and CIS Controls, and implementing risk assessment methodologies, including NIST SP 800-30 and ISO/IEC 27005. Our approach ensures measurable outcomes: from launching formal governance boards and integrating hybrid SOC oversight to developing AI-specific risk programs using NIST AI RMF and ISO 42001. Whether improving metrics, enhancing executive reporting, or driving role-based training, we help organizations evolve cybersecurity from a compliance function into a strategic enabler of trust, resilience, and accountability. By: Brett Price – Lead Cybersecurity Consultant and vCISO – C|CISO, CISSP, CISM, CISA
Leveraging CMMI for Faster and More Effective Innovation
Organizations are constantly under pressure to innovate and adapt to changing market demands. The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) offers a structured framework that can help organizations streamline their processes, enhance productivity, and promote a culture of continuous improvement. By leveraging CMMI, organizations can enhance their innovation efforts, ensure that these innovations are effective, and align with strategic goals. This blog post will explore how CMMI, with its proven benefits of faster and more effective innovation, can be utilized to drive innovation across various sectors, highlighting the significant advantages it brings to organizations. Understanding CMMI CMMI is a process improvement model that offers a set of best practices for organizations to optimize their processes and achieve their goals. It provides a roadmap for organizations to assess their current capabilities, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes that enhance performance. CMMI encompasses various domains, including development, services, and acquisition, making it applicable across a wide range of industries. The model is structured into five maturity levels, each representing a different stage of process improvement: 1. Initial: Processes are unpredictable and reactive. 2. Managed: Processes are planned and executed in accordance with the policy. 3. Defined: Processes are well-defined and standardized across the organization. 4. Quantitatively Managed: Processes are controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques. 5. Optimizing: Focus is on continuous process improvement and innovation. By advancing through these maturity levels, organizations can strengthen their capabilities, minimize risks, and enhance overall performance. The Role of CMMI in Innovation Innovation is not merely about generating new ideas; it necessitates a systematic approach to transforming those ideas into viable products or services. CMMI offers a framework that facilitates this process by encouraging best practices in project management, process optimization, and quality assurance. Here’s how organizations can leverage CMMI to adopt innovation: 1. Streamlining Processes for Efficiency: CMMI encourages organizations to define and standardize their processes, which can significantly reduce inefficiencies and bottlenecks. By streamlining workflows, teams can focus more on creative problem-solving and less on navigating cumbersome procedures. This efficiency enables quicker iterations and a faster time to market for new products and services. For example, organizations that implement CMMI can identify redundant steps in their development processes and eliminate them, leading to a more agile approach to innovation. This streamlined process not only saves time but also reduces costs, allowing organizations to allocate resources more effectively towards innovative initiatives. 2. Enhancing Collaboration and Communication: Effective innovation often requires collaboration across various teams and departments. CMMI raises a culture of collaboration by establishing clear roles, responsibilities, and communication channels. This clarity helps dismantle silos and encourages cross-functional teams to work together towards common goals. Organizations can harness diverse perspectives and expertise by developing an environment where ideas can flow freely between teams, leading to more innovative solutions. CMMI’s emphasis on teamwork and communication ensures that all stakeholders are aligned and engaged in the innovation process. 3. One key role of CMMI is to adopt a culture of continuous improvement within organizations. By regularly assessing processes and performance, teams can identify areas for improvement and implement changes that drive innovation. This iterative approach, which is a hallmark of CMMI, allows organizations to adapt quickly to market changes and emerging trends, ensuring a sustained competitive edge and developing a culture of continuous improvement, a key to long-term success in today’s dynamic business environment. For instance, organizations can use CMMI’s quantitative management practices to analyze data and gain insights into their processes. By understanding what works and what doesn’t, teams can make informed decisions that lead to more effective innovation strategies. 4. Risk Management and Quality Assurance: Innovation inherently involves risk, but CMMI provides a framework for effectively managing that risk. By implementing robust risk management practices, organizations can identify potential challenges early in the innovation process and develop strategies to mitigate them. This proactive approach, emphasized by CMMI, reduces the likelihood of costly setbacks and increases the chances of successful outcomes, instilling a sense of security and confidence in the innovation process. Additionally, CMMI emphasizes quality assurance throughout the development lifecycle. By ensuring that quality is built into processes from the outset, organizations can deliver innovative products and services that meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements. One key advantage of leveraging CMMI is its focus on aligning processes with organizational goals. By integrating innovation initiatives with strategic objectives, organizations can ensure that their efforts are not only creative but also relevant and impactful. This alignment, a key principle of CMMI, is crucial for the success of any innovation project, ensuring that every innovation contributes to the organization’s overall success and providing reassurance and confidence in the relevance and impact of their innovation efforts. CMMI encourages organizations to establish clear goals and metrics for their innovation projects. This alignment assists teams in prioritizing their efforts and allocating resources effectively, ensuring that innovations contribute to the organization’s overall success. Case Studies: CMMI in Action Let’s examine a few case studies from organizations that have successfully leveraged CMMI to demonstrate its effectiveness in development innovation. Case Study 1: A Software Development Company. A mid-sized software development company encountered challenges in delivering projects on time and within budget. By adopting CMMI, the organization standardized its development processes and implemented best practices for project management. Consequently, the company reduced its project delivery time by 30% and enhanced customer satisfaction ratings. The structured approach provided by CMMI allowed the company to identify inefficiencies in its workflows and implement changes that streamlined operations. This newfound efficiency enabled the team to focus on innovation, successfully launching several new software products that met market demands. Case Study 2: A Healthcare Organization. A healthcare organization seeks to enhance its patient care services while controlling costs. By leveraging CMMI, the organization created a framework for continuous improvement in its service delivery processes. The result was a 25% reduction in patient wait times and a significant increase in patient satisfaction scores. Through CMMI’s focus on collaboration and quality assurance, the healthcare organization innovated its service offerings,
Why KPIs Should Matter to a CISO: Measuring and Improving Cybersecurity
As a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), your role is not just about implementing, maintaining, monitoring, and continuously improving your cybersecurity program. It’s also about proving its effectiveness and justifying investments. With cyberthreats evolving daily, security leaders must establish measurable, data-driven approaches. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) play a crucial role in this, as they provide a clear roadmap for your cybersecurity program and empower you to make informed decisions and confidently justify your investments. Why KPIs Matter for a CISO By providing a clear roadmap for your cybersecurity program, KPIs empower you, as a CISO, to make informed decisions and confidently justify your investments. Effective KPIs allow you to: Quantify Security Performance: Show stakeholders how security initiatives reduce risk, minimize the potential financial impact on the organization and increase productivity in a secure and cost-effective manner. Justify Budget Requests: Provide data-backed justifications for security solutions and personnel investments. Enhance Decision-Making: KPIs are not just numbers on a page. They are tools that can be used to identify and reduce risk, assess incident response times, manage compliance, and refine cybersecurity strategies. By providing a clear roadmap for your cybersecurity program, KPIs empower you to make informed decisions and confidently justify your investments. Align with Business Goals: KPIs are not just about measuring cybersecurity performance. They also play a crucial role in ensuring that security initiatives support organizational objectives by streamlining processes and improving functionality. This alignment with business goals is key to demonstrating the value of your cybersecurity program to the wider organization. Essential KPIs for a CISO To drive meaningful cybersecurity investments and continuous improvements, CISOs should track the following KPIs: 1. Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) & Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) Why it matters: The speed at which your team detects and responds to incidents directly influences the damage caused by cyber threats. Reducing the “blast radius” is key to ensuring minimal impact on the organization. How to measure: Track the time from the first indication of an incident to detection (MTTD) and from detection to resolution (MTTR). Incident response should include the following: identification and analysis, containment, eradication, recovery (resolution), and lessons learned. 2. Phishing Susceptibility Rate Why it matters: Phishing remains a primary attack vector, and understanding how often employees fall for phishing attempts highlights the effectiveness of training. How to measure: Monitor the percentage of employees who click on simulated phishing emails, open links, or enter credentials (phish-prone) versus those who report them. 3. Patch Management Compliance Why it matters: Unpatched vulnerabilities are a leading cause of breaches. Ensuring timely patching reduces exposure. It is critical to prioritize based on vulnerabilities that are critical, high, exploitable, have exploits available, and are currently being exploited in the wild, then work from there. How to measure: Track the percentage of critical, high, and medium patches applied within the required timeframe. Showing a percentage decrease for each severity level per month/quarter shows progress in the right direction. 4. Number of Security Incidents Why it matters: A high number of security incidents may indicate gaps in defense mechanisms. Example: A link that was clicked enabling an adversary to drop information-stealing malware or a keylogger onto an endpoint. How to measure: Categorize incidents by severity and track trends over time. Add a distinction between contained and eradicated incidents and incidents that led to a breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. 5. Security Awareness Training Completion Rates Why it matters: Human error is a major security risk. Ensuring employees complete training programs helps mitigate threats. How to measure: Track participation rates and post-training assessments. 6. Third-Party Risk Assessment Scores Why it matters: Vendor security weaknesses can lead to data breaches. Measuring third-party cybersecurity risk helps mitigate supply chain threats. How to measure: Use standardized security questionnaires and risk assessments for vendors. Review penetration testing results, SOC 2 or ISO 27001/27005 reports. 7. Compliance Audit Pass Rate Why it matters: Regulatory fines and reputational damage can result from non-compliance. How to measure: Track the percentage of passed security audits versus failed ones. Making KPIs Actionable Remember, KPIs are not just numbers on a page. They are tools for driving continuous improvement in your cybersecurity program. As a CISO, you can make the most of them by: Align KPIs with Business Risk: Focus on metrics directly impacting business operations. Organizational leadership is concerned with resiliency and profitability, so tailor the KPIs to what matters most to the report’s recipients. Automate Data Collection – Use security tools and SIEM systems to automate reporting. If you don’t have a tool that provides output, including all metrics, consider creating a spreadsheet with a dynamic dashboard. Regularly Review and Adapt – Cyber threats evolve, and your KPIs should, too. KPIs are not static. I update my dashboard monthly in preparation for the quarterly board of directors presentation. Report to Leadership in Business Terms – Translate security metrics into financial and operational impacts. It is critical to present the KPIs adapted to the audience who will be receiving them. You don’t want to talk about CVEs with a CEO or board member. Craft the message in a way that reflects profit and loss. Final Thoughts In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, the effectiveness of CISOs is judged not only by their ability to prevent attacks, maintain compliance, or reduce organizational risk but also by how well they measure, communicate, and improve security performance. KPIs, by their proactive nature, provide the foundation for this, ensuring that cybersecurity isn’t just a reactive function but a strategic pillar of business resilience. By leveraging the right KPIs, CISOs cannot only build stronger defenses but also secure executive buy-in and drive long-term security success. AccessIT Group employs vCISOs and other thought leaders with decades of experience leading strategic cybersecurity initiatives in all industry verticals. If you struggle with producing effective KPIs or delivering the proper message to stakeholders, reach out for a free one-hour consultation or engage with our team for a longer-term partnership to ensure your success in identifying, documenting, and
AccessIT Group Joins Google Cloud Partner Advantage, Expanding Cloud Services Portfolio
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (Sep. 19, 2024) – AccessIT Group, a provider of specialized cybersecurity solutions, is excited to announce it has joined Google Cloud Partner Advantage as a partner-level partner for the Sell Engagement Model. This milestone underscores the company’s dedication to offering leading-edge cloud solutions. By joining Google Cloud Partner Advantage, AccessIT Group can now seamlessly offer authorized cloud products from a variety of partners on Google Cloud Marketplace, empowering clients with access to secure, end-to-end cloud solutions. This collaboration enhances the company’s ability to deliver robust, tailored cybersecurity services that address the evolving needs of businesses in today’s digital landscape. “We are excited about the opportunities this new relationship with Google Cloud brings to our customers,” said Robert Reilly, Vice President of Sales at AccessIT Group. “By broadening our cloud services portfolio and joining Google Cloud Partner Advantage, we are better positioned to provide our clients with the most effective and innovative cloud security solutions available today.” AccessIT Group’s collaboration with Google Cloud is a strategic addition to its growing cloud services portfolio. In addition to its relationship with Google Cloud, AccessIT Group is a registered seller on both AWS and Microsoft Marketplaces, allowing the company to offer a comprehensive multi-cloud approach. This flexibility enables AccessIT Group to support diverse cloud environments, ensuring clients receive complete support for their unique infrastructure needs. ### About AccessIT Group AccessIT Group is a specialized cybersecurity solutions provider offering a full range of advanced security services that assist organizations with the design, implementation and operation of their security program and infrastructure. We focus on cloud, risk management, compliance and implementation services, working with organizations to address the evolving complexities of cyberthreats. With seven locations in metropolitan areas along the East Coast and Midwest and over 20 years of experience and relationships with leading technology partners, we help you find the most appropriate technologies for implementation in your environment. Our cybersecurity experts operate as an extension to your team and help you identify the technologies and practices needed to protect your organization and your client data. Learn more at www.accessitgroup.com.