The Benefits of a Centralized Cybersecurity Program Management Platform

4 minute read

May 2021

by Sophia Corsetti

Implementing a centralized Cybersecurity Program Management platform can pay dividends for your organization by protecting high-value assets and demonstrating meaningful compliance efforts. However, getting a cybersecurity program off the ground isn’t a simple task – let alone an easy one. Organizations often find themselves caught up in inefficient manual processes that fail to meet the program’s goals, ultimately leaving the organization at risk. 

Luckily, Cybersecurity Program Management platform can step in to centralize, automate and standardize an organization’s CPM. CPM platform delivers on the functionality to support cybersecurity objectives with an all-in-one program that is easy to assess, measure and manage.  

This blog will review the benefits of a Cybersecurity Program Management platform to highlight the added efficiency that a robust solution can provide. Then, it’ll cover a few questions for your organization to consider in preparation for a successful CPM platform implementation. 

Key operational benefits of a Cybersecurity Program Management platform include: 

  • Real-time Insight and ReportingLeverage insight and reports to fully understand your organization’s cybersecurity posture. With a click of the mouse, you will gain enterprise-wide visibility into your company’s preparedness, vulnerabilities, compliance adherence and status of all cyber-related projects. Instantaneous reports can be used out of the box or standardized to fit program needs. 
  • Precise Mapping: Ensure your cybersecurity program covers all of its bases with metaframework mapping. Cybersecurity policies are mapped to controls, controls to risks, and risks to enterprise threats. Forget tedious manual processes and spreadsheets: with CPM every aspect of the program is related through an interconnected map, enabling your program to streamline assessments, reporting and incident management. 
  • Streamlined Automation: Schedule assignments, projects and assessments to their appropriate owners within the platform for a centralized view of program activityThe CPM platform generates automated triggers with deadlines to clearly delegate responsibility across the program. This critical feature driveengagement, accountability, and successful project completion.  

Transforming Your Cybersecurity Program with Centralization and Automation 

A strategically mapped cybersecurity program that offers real-time insight into enterprise-wide security saves an organization precious time and resources. What was once a collection of scattered spreadsheets across shared drives becomes an easily navigated, centralized system that enables enterprise-wide integration. 

Making this transition means analyzing your organization’s cybersecurity, executing strategic decisions and gathering the necessary information to power the CPM platform with program-relevant, applicable data. There are a few questions your organization needs to address before a successful Cybersecurity Program Management platform implementation can take place. 

Questions to Answer for Cybersecurity Program Management Implementation 

  • Frameworks: Does your company already have a cybersecurity framework in place? If not, decide what framework provides the best direction for your program. Consult with a legal and regulatory team to determine your organization’s specific compliance requirements. It may be necessary to pull elements from multiple frameworks to meet your organization’s needs.  
  • ThreatsWhat are the enterprise threats that your organization must contend with? Which of your crown jewels are vulnerable to these threats? Your organization will need to identify threats from all angles to properly address them within a CPM platform.  
  • RisksWhat is the likelihood of the previously identified threats occurring? How vulnerable is your organization to this likelihood, and how prepared is your organization to address an incident? Identifying the present risks to your organization’s high-value assets, and which actors within your organization own these risks, will streamline risk mitigation down the line. 
  • PoliciesDoes your organization have documented policies? Are they effective? Policy review prior to implementation allows the program to provide the CPM platform with the most up-to-date information. 
  • ControlsWhat controls is your company currently using? Who owns these controls within the organization? Make sure your controls are clearly identified and mapped to their appropriate owners, threats, policies and assets before implementation to easily integrate automation. 

It Pays Off!

There’s no denying that Cybersecurity Program Management is a time-consuming endeavor. Thankfully, the work of answering key questions and gathering necessary information pays off when it comes time to implement your cybersecurity program management platform. 

Once implemented, your platform will effortlessly deliver efficiency in all program areas: 

  • Threat Management: Evaluate and maintain a list of threats, their relevance, and the organization’s threat tolerance level. 
  • Risk Management: Identify, assess and report on cybersecurity risk via built-in risk register and pre-built processes. 
  • Asset Management: Inventory and assess key high-value assets—applications, systems, vendors, facilities and more. 
  • Third-Party Risk Management: Benchmark, analyze and mature your vendor risk management program over time. 
  • Control Standards InventoryTrack effectiveness with pre-loaded framework control sets mapped to assessments and policies. 
  • Organization and Training: Build awareness and competence throughout the organization via training assets, results and evidence. 
  • Client Assurance: Organize, store and search a library of preferred due diligence responses. 
  • Policy Management: Establish, maintain and evaluate formal policies and supporting process and standards documents. 
  • Project Management: Track and monitor key budgetary elements for remediation projects to help reduce organizational risk. 
  • Incident Management: Track, manage and address incident trends across enterprise over time. 
  • Issue Management: Analyze, manage and remediate issues across assessment processes. 
  • Change Management: Identify and circulate cyber reviews initiated by organizational changes. 

To learn more about how a robust Cybersecurity Program Management Platform can drive success within your organization, request a ProcessUnity Cybersecurity Program Management Platform demo today. 

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About Us

ProcessUnity is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for risk and compliance management. The company’s software as a service (SaaS) platform gives organizations the control to assess, measure, and mitigate risk and to ensure the optimal performance of key business processes. ProcessUnity’s flagship solution, ProcessUnity Vendor Risk Management, protects companies and their brands by reducing risks from third-party vendors and suppliers. ProcessUnity helps customers effectively and efficiently assess and monitor both new and existing vendors – from initial due diligence and onboarding through termination. Headquartered outside of Boston, Massachusetts, ProcessUnity is used by the world’s leading financial service firms and commercial enterprises. For more information, visit www.processunity.com.