Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization: Revolutionizing the Industry

Heads-up CISOs – there’s a major paradigm shift coming that will change how you plan and execute your adaptive cybersecurity defense strategy.

There’s a new term that you are going to be hearing a lot in the coming months that will become a standard phrase in the cybersecurity community. One that will change how you think about your role, and how you communicate about your organization’s business.

The term is “Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization” (CDPO)

What You Will Learn

The emerging role of Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization (CDPO) in cybersecurity
Key features to look for in a CDPO solution
The impact of CDPO on traditional cybersecurity practices
How SAGE is pioneering the CDPO concept and its benefits

Gartner’s Stamp of Approval: CDPO Unveiled

It’s a new tech category, mentioned by Gartner for the first time recently in a paper authored by a team spearheaded by analyst Lawrence Pingree. Gartner says CDPO solutions can help CISOs, “in optimizing overlapping tools, planning program elements, and eliminating redundant platforms, operations or mitigation capabilities.”

Brace yourself for an influx of AI enhanced tools claiming to be the best tool for CDPO.

How do we know this? We actually invented the phrase.

Gartner suggesting the use of a CDPO for cybersecurity planning

While Gartner includes the SAGE Platform as a provider for CDPO, we did more than just create the first CDPO platform we originated and pioneered the CDPO concept.

Over a series of information sessions with Gartner analysts in the past year, our team explained the vision for SAGE, a new platform that is a departure from the limitations of cybersecurity planning methodologies like spreadsheets or pen and paper.

Gartner understood our vision and the new category for CDPO technology was born.

“We are delighted to work with Gartner to forge the future of cyber security and give every size organization the ability to create a dynamic, adaptable cyber security plan that increases their security posture,” says Ran Shahor, CEO of SAGE Cyber.

Understanding the Need for Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization

The need for a major shift in cyber defense planning is evident. CISOs need better tools to help them carry out their weighty responsibilities, they can’t just go it alone. New SEC regulations regarding risk management and incident reporting place immense pressure on CISOs to make sure they have documented their decision making process and gotten buy-in from the business decision makers. They also need to constantly optimize budgets and provide thorough justifications for decisions, based on evidence, not just their gut instinct.

The traditional methods for cyber defense planning result in static documents that are obsolete as soon as they are produced. These are enough to rapidly adapt to changing realities such as budget fluctuations, and updated business goals, and are usually created without sufficient input of experts, both human and AI.

What to look for in a CDPO solution.

Here are the essential features to look for in when selecting a CDPO platform

Human and AI Expertise: The synergy of human and AI capabilities creates a potent, adaptable plan easily explainable to business decision-makers. Human beings are limited in their ability to compute all the possible outcomes and ripple effects of their decision making. AI can help with that. On the other hand, AI is still not mature enough to tackle the job without human input. Working together in one platform, these two can help you create a powerful plan that is adaptable and sophisticated.
Dynamic Budget Optimization: A good CDPO platform provides instant feedback on the full ramifications of budget changes, surpassing the limitations of paper and pen or traditional spreadsheets. The ability to test various budget scenarios and cost-cutting decisions will allow you to consider numerous possible options quickly and get the most out of your cybersecurity budget.
Dilemma Resolution: As a CISO, you may find yourself often having to make decisions without complete information or context. A good CDPO, such as SAGE, can incorporate and analyze different types of data from numerous disparate sources and help you integrate it into a comprehensive CISO strategy.

Key Takeaways

Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization (CDPO) is a newly recognized category in cybersecurity that emphasizes integrating and optimizing tools to improve defense strategies.
CDPO aims to eliminate redundant platforms and enhance program elements, as highlighted by Gartner.
SAGE was instrumental in defining and developing the CDPO concept and offers a platform that combines human and AI expertise for dynamic planning.
Effective CDPO solutions should provide dynamic budget optimization, resolve dilemmas with comprehensive data analysis, and facilitate clear communication with decision-makers.

CDPO In Action with SAGE

SAGE Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization platform, acts as the CISOs co-pilot, providing contextualized information to help you make informed decisions, based on real data, and confidently communicate with management and business decision makers. As pioneers leading the charge into this new era of cybersecurity planning, we invite you to experience SAGE for yourself. Request a demo today.

Gartner Disclaimer : Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner, Emerging Tech: Mitigate Advanced Persistent Threats in SaaS and Cloud By Lawrence Pingree, Neil MacDonald, Dan Ayoub, Eric Grenier, Deepak Mishra, Robertson Pimentel, Stephanie Bauman, 29 November 2023.