In an evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity is non-negotiable for businesses. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated, and organisations of all sizes and types are at risk. Among small and medium-sized businesses, 46% have experienced a cyber attack, and nearly one in five of those affected later filed for bankruptcy or closed their doors.
In short, there is no room for complacency. And yet many C-suite leaders approach cybersecurity with a grin-and-bear-it mindset - essential for compliance, but disconnected from wider strategic goals. Failing to recognise its potential as a business enabler, however, can lead to ill-judged cyber investments that ultimately harm an organisation’s competitive positioning.
So how do organisations avoid pitfalls and ensure their information security strategies are successful?
The business case for cybersecurity
A recent report from Recorded Future, the world’s largest threat intelligence provider, showed that robust cybersecurity not only delivers peace of mind but also measurable business value. The company’s customers have reported substantial reductions in overall business and brand risk, improved productivity and lower cyber security premiums. They have also been able to respond more effectively when they are hit by cyber attacks.
Overall, these benefits yield approximately $661,500 in annual savings for the average organisation, according to Recorded Future’s research. That represents a 351% average return on their initial investment in threat intelligence.
“In essence, investments in cyber resilience through effective threat intelligence transform security from a cost centre to a business enabler, delivering substantial financial returns while ensuring the organisation can maintain operations even in the face of emerging threats,” says Jason Steer, chief information security officer at Recorded Future.
They also yield less tangible business benefits, such as preventing the erosion of customer trust after a breach, facilitating innovation, and giving leaders greater confidence when making strategic decisions. “Forward-thinking organisations are recognising that cybersecurity can be a competitive differentiator,” explains Steer.
Threat intelligence’s influence across functions
The advantages of a more rigorous cybersecurity policy can be felt right across an organisation, helping various C-suite leaders and their teams. The chief information security officer (CISO), for example, will benefit from better visibility of the threat landscape, making it easier to distinguish between immediate and long-term risks.
Automation of key parts of the cybersecurity process, such as in-depth threat analysis, also makes the work of threat detection more efficient. “One of our customers reported that their team can now shift 90% of work from event response to threat hunting,” says Steer.
With a proactive security stance, cyber teams no longer have to rely on overly cautious risk assessments, conducted with limited information, and this comes with huge benefits for chief technology officers and their teams. Innovation becomes faster and safer, as it gets easier to onboard vendors, adopt new technology and embrace new business initiatives.
Meanwhile, leaders in finance, marketing and operations can expect to see measurable gains as the frequency and impact of cyber incidents decreases. Some 57% of Recorded Future’s customers report seeing a significant reduction in their overall cyber risk after introducing its systems.
“Our threat intelligence enables organisations to be more strategic with their actions and resources by knowing what threat intelligence matters to them, blocking out the noise, and acting first before the threat actor has a chance to target them,” says Steer.
“This means that the chief executive can pursue strategic initiatives with confidence, the chief operating officer faces fewer disruptions, the chief marketing officer maintains brand integrity, and the chief finance officer sees reduced losses from attacks.”
The impact of AI-powered threat intelligence
Artificial intelligence is enhancing every aspect of threat detection – from the way cybersecurity professionals accomplish their daily tasks to how vendors shape their products. It’s accelerating the move towards more proactive security strategies, helping organisations do more with less.
For example, Recorded Future’s customers can now obtain actionable threat insights far more quickly than in the past thanks to AI, making it easier to spot attacks before they happen. This is achieved via a range of AI outputs that “interwoven” into a threat analyst’s workflow, explains Steer.
“The analyst identifies when a threat poses actual risk to their organisation through precision intelligence. This is enabled by our AI-driven platform analysing over one million global sources,” he says.
“The analyst then gains contextual understanding through AI-generated threat narratives formatted for rapid comprehension. And finally, AI generates tailored threat reports customised to the organisation’s specific environment, delivering critical information in formats security decision-makers prefer.”
Steer believes AI is “game changing” because it lowers knowledge barriers for junior analysts so they can make a bigger impact on the overall security of the business.
“One global manufacturing provider summed it up best by saying that ‘not only does Recorded Future AI allow our less experienced analysts to do more – it’s like having an experienced analyst join our team,’” says Steer.
A strategic investment
As threat actors become more advanced, C-suite leaders must take a proactive approach to cybersecurity investments or risk paying a high price. Viewing it as a strategic advantage, rather than an optional requirement, is crucial to achieving this, as it will ensure threat intelligence is better aligned with wider business goals.
There is no room for complacency
Since 2009, Recorded Future has pioneered this approach and become the world’s largest threat intelligence provider. Today the company delivers comprehensive, real-time and AI-driven insights to over 1,900 customers across the globe.
“One customer reported that by leveraging Recorded Future’s risk lists to block malicious IPs above a certain risk score, they prevent five million malicious connections daily, saving their team 40 hours monthly,” says Steer. “Another improved brand protection by 100% through early identification of risks, detecting patterns in their infancy stages before they could impact the business.”
Such substantial returns on investment demonstrate how robust cyber defences can enable a strategic shift from reactive to proactive security postures, transforming threat intelligence into a strategic business enabler with concrete, measurable value.
For more information please visit recordedfuture.com
In an evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity is non-negotiable for businesses. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated, and organisations of all sizes and types are at risk. Among small and medium-sized businesses, 46% have experienced a cyber attack, and nearly one in five of those affected later filed for bankruptcy or closed their doors.
In short, there is no room for complacency. And yet many C-suite leaders approach cybersecurity with a grin-and-bear-it mindset - essential for compliance, but disconnected from wider strategic goals. Failing to recognise its potential as a business enabler, however, can lead to ill-judged cyber investments that ultimately harm an organisation’s competitive positioning.
So how do organisations avoid pitfalls and ensure their information security strategies are successful?
