Product Description

The Cybersecurity Capabilities Model is a customizable, comprehensive, and in-depth set of business capabilities that capture the essence of what the cybersecurity function does. It will help companies gain a holistic perspective of their cybersecurity at a foundational level and provide a business/technology blueprint for many valuable purposes. The Cybersecurity Capabilities Model comprises 230 capabilities across three levels.

(Note: As the Cybersecurity Capabilities Model is a digital deliverable, we do not accept returns or issue refunds. So, please read the product description and the terms carefully before purchasing.)

The Cybersecurity Capabilities Model is a set of multilevel and granular business capabilities primarily focusing on the core cyber and information security functions.

The Cybersecurity capabilities model is a must-have tool for business architects, enterprise architects, business and technology leaders, and project teams to fathom the nuances of the function’s core, context, and commodity capabilities.

The Strategic Imperative for Cybersecurity Transformation:

Cybersecurity has become a critical capability for enterprises in today’s digital landscape due to the increasing volume, sophistication, and impact of cyber threats. As a result, organizations that rely on digital infrastructure and technology are constantly exposed to a myriad of risks, ranging from data breaches, malware infections, and ransomware attacks to social engineering scams and insider threats. As cyber incidents can lead to significant financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures is a business imperative.

A holistic cybersecurity strategy and plan provide enterprises with a comprehensive approach to combating cyber risks. This strategy encompasses all aspects of the organization, including people, processes, and technology. It ensures adequate protection for all critical assets, including data, networks, systems, and applications. By addressing cybersecurity strategically, enterprises can more effectively identify and prioritize risks, allocate resources efficiently, and implement targeted and proactive measures to protect against threats.

Furthermore, a holistic cybersecurity plan promotes a strong security culture within the organization, fostering employee awareness and adherence to security policies and best practices. It also encourages collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders, such as public and private entities, to share threat intelligence and foster a collective defense against cyber adversaries.

Capabilities are a Cornerstone for Transformation

For an enterprise to transform and strengthen cyber capabilities successfully, it is essential to establish a structurally strong foundation to support change and innovation over time. This is where a comprehensive capabilities matrix comes into play.

Capabilities encapsulate and abstract the functions, skills, and resources a company needs to execute its cyber strategy successfully. By defining and organizing their cyber capabilities, companies can identify gaps and redundancies and develop a roadmap to address them. This helps ensure the firm has the necessary resources to execute its cyber strategy and implement robust controls and governance.

(NOTE: The current product provides a comprehensive capability model. It does not include other business architecture artifacts or cyber technologies lists.)

Cybersecurity Capabilities Model Deliverables:

The Cybersecurity capabilities model comprises ~230 capabilities across three levels and includes the following editable artifacts:

• An Excel spreadsheet with the grouping of capabilities.
• A PowerPoint format with the top three levels presented in a nested visualization.
• A Word document with capabilities in a multilevel list format.
• High Tech Capability Definitions (at Level 3)
• Capability KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) (at Level 2)

How to Use the Cybersecurity Capabilities Model?

A capabilities Model is a fundamental and foundational deliverable in the business architecture continuum. For example, the cybersecurity capabilities model encapsulates end-to-end aspects of the security needs with a detailed, multilevel capabilities list.

There are several benefits from cyber capabilities, including, among others:

• Foster alignment between business and IT using capabilities as an everyday language.
• Capabilities are a structurally sound and internally coherent abstraction of functional footprint.
• A capability-based roadmap eliminates redundancy and replication and focuses on capability evolution
• Juxtaposing capabilities and systems/applications provide a footprint analysis and can lead to security gaps and better application portfolio rationalization decisions.

The cyber security capabilities Model decomposes components up to three levels. Created by business architects and security domain experts, the capabilities list is detailed, in-depth, and conforms to the construct of MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive).

Who should use the Capabilities Matrix?

The Cybersecurity capabilities matrix is a generic model; hence, it is a starting point, not the final product. (Please note that a generic Model covering multiple areas will not be specific to your specific company or business model; that is where our professional services can help customize and detail the capability model. Or you can modify and tailor it to your needs internally.) The primary users encompass:

• Business, Security, and Enterprise Architects.
• Leaders focused on cyber defenses.
• Product and program managers enabling cyber capabilities.

Why Purchase a Cybersecurity Capabilities Model?

Defining capabilities from a blank slate takes time and effort and delays time to value. Instead, a pre-built and customizable capability Model helps provide 60-80% of capabilities allowing internal teams to focus on what is missing or unique to their companies.

And the cost is less than an inexpensive team dinner or the loaded cost of 4-5 team members brainstorming for an hour.

And far less than the deliverables consulting firms produce at over $100,000 or more, and compared to that number, the cost of our capabilities models is a fraction (a rounding error.)

Even if you already have a capability Model, you could use our version to compare, validate, and potentially include missing capabilities.

A Note About the Artifacts:

• Capabilities Matrix: A functional area occupies one box in many capability maps. Some may wonder why we decomposed the capabilities into 100X or more capabilities. We humbly submit that one box or entry in a one-page diagram is Wall Art, not an implementation tool. Decomposing capabilities into a nested list of granular items will help understand a capability’s depth, breadth, scope, and importance. It is also possible that some capabilities in our matrix may not be relevant to you. Similarly, we may have captured and documented some relevant and essential capabilities of your firm.
• Capability Definitions: We include capability definitions at Level 3. Please feel free to modify it to your company’s needs.
• Capability KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): We added a few KPIs for capabilities (mostly at Level 2) to get you started. You may not measure these KPIs in your company and have an entirely different set of metrics. Again, use them as a springboard, and not debate the applicability to your firm.

Fine Print:

• We sell digital products, so there are no returns, refunds, or replacements. Therefore, please read the product description carefully before making a purchasing decision.
• A generic set of deliverables and templates may or may not fit your needs, or the content relevance will vary substantially.
• Sold on an as-is basis and without any implied or explicit warranties
• Consultants and firms wanting to use it for their clients have a different pricing model.
• The sale is for digital products only and does not include customization or implementation help.
• Please review our standard terms of service.