Follow us

That familiar cyber pain – and the new automated solution

3 things every senior executive must understand about cyber security — including how Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM) is the new de facto for easing cyber pain

When Gartner named ”cybersecurity control failures” top of the list of executive concerns in its global Emerging Risks Monitor Report, was anyone really surprised? Business executives probably just experienced another cold shiver down the spine.

Executives and businesses have been feeling the pain of cyber security risk for a very long time. And it just seems to get worse with every passing year: increasing sophistication from cyber criminals; a higher volume and a greater variety of cyber threats; bigger penalties and potential business losses; seemingly never-ending compliance and audit challenges. And, since 2020, the added burden of the pandemic-driven increase in remote working and remote access to business systems.

Fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom. Quite the opposite, in fact, for those up to speed with what’s happening in the world of cyber security, information security, infosec, digital risk… call it what you will.

So what are the three things every executive must understand about cyber security? And why the cautious optimism?

1. Cyber security has moved on

Very quickly, cyber security has entered a much more advanced and mature phase with the advent of Continuous Controls Monitoring, or CCM as it is often called by the relatively few who currently know of its existence.

CCM means that cyber security no longer needs be ‘managed’ through a patchwork of largely manual, resource- and money-sapping activities and periodic audits. At worst, this traditional approach can be likened to a team of people scrambling around trying to reinforce a dam containing multiple points of weakness and vulnerability. It’s time-consuming, costly, and often hit and miss.

By contrast, Continuous Controls Monitoring, or CCM, puts in place automated and highly visible monitoring and auditing of the security controls within your business. It’s ‘always-on’, so it’s there 24/7, forever working in the background. Also—and this is key—it’s visible on a user-friendly visual dashboard that can be available on a ‘need to know’ basis across the business, including at board level.

And when implemented by Quod Orbis, one of the few true CCM specialists in the market, this new cyber security solution continuously reduces your cyber risk, maximises protection and slashes effort and costs—and all while minimising the potential for loss of trading, reputation, revenue and profit.

2. Most of the market is going to be playing catch-up (but they don’t know it yet)

Amazingly, hardly anybody who should have heard about Continuous Controls Monitoring has actually heard about it.

A few of the very big names (in banking, for example) are doing it already and reaping the benefits. But CCM isn’t just for massive corporations; it’s now available to all and is an especially good fit for organisations who take a mature approach to cyber security and often have challenging compliance requirements.

Yet based on conversations we have every day with medium-sized and large organisations, we estimate that only 1 in 10 people who are decision-makers or influencers in cyber security have heard of Continuous Controls Monitoring.

Gartner, though, has already recognised Continuous Controls Monitoring as an emerging governance, risk and compliance technology with its own product category, a benefits rating of ‘high’ and reaching a peak in the next 5–10 years. In other words, CCM is seen by industry experts and analysts as pretty much essential for large(ish), heavily regulated organisations.

3. Those who do know where cyber security is heading are taking things very seriously indeed

First, set aside any notion that this is a technical issue, because it’s not. It’s a business issue and the experts here at Quod Orbis will happily explain everything clearly and simply using the language of business, not technical jargon.

The language of business is vital, because cyber security and CCM are set to hit the boardroom in a big way. Back to Gartner…

Gartner predicts 40% of boards (up from 10% at January 2021) will have a “dedicated Cybersecurity Committee, overseen by a qualified board member”, by 2025.

The reasons given by Gartner for this increased boardroom focus?

Greater risk created by the expanded digital footprint of organisations during the Covid pandemic.

Because cybersecurity-related risk is rated as the second-highest source of risk for the enterprise after regulatory compliance risk.

And because “relatively few directors feel confident that their company is properly secured against a cyber attack”.

So how can you get up to speed, and quickly

If you want to build the necessary confidence in your cyber security systems—including learning more about these game-changing developments in cyber security—we’d be delighted to help.

To arrange a meeting, and to see a demo of the Quod Orbis Continuous Controls Monitoring solution, simply contact us now or call Alastair Dickson at Quod Orbis on +44 (0)7939 286 006

RECENT POSTS

Effectively Conveying Cyber Risks to Senior Board Executives

The number one risk to any business is ineffective cyber security because of the catastrophic implications on their reputational and financial status. However, it has become apparent that being able to effectively communicate that risk to Boards and senior executives within an organisation is becoming increasingly difficult,  leaving cyber security

Find out more

Contact Us

To find out more about cyber security and Continuous Controls Monitoring, please complete the form below with a short message and we’ll get right back to you. Alternatively, you can book a meeting directly.

Address:
2nd & 3rd Floor,
2 Burgon Street,
City Of London,
London,
EC4V 5DR

 

Uttamkurmar Lakhani

Technical Analyst -

Register for updates

Please register your contact details with us to receive links to insightful blog articles as soon as they are published.

Address:
2nd & 3rd Floor,
2 Burgon Street,
City Of London,
London,
EC4V 5DR

 

Liam Flavin

Intern Developer -

Ekaterina Kuzevanova

Back End Developer -

Mohamed Mohamud

Front End Developer -

Juan Morales

DevOps Engineer -

Luke Bakare

DevOps Engineer -

Rutvik Belapurkar

Technical Analyst -

Harman Singh Malhotra

Technical Analyst -

Jason Wilkes

Technical Lead -

Annie Greenfield

Marketing Executive -

Will Tonge

Head of Recruitment -

Will has spent the last 9-years embedded in Cyber Security working with global, household names and innovative start-ups.

Passionate about bringing people and technology together, Will has worked in various settings, helping build high-growth organisations across multiple sectors. During this time, he has built an extensive network with access to some of the best talent out there.

Outside of QO, his young daughter keeps him well on his toes!

Shaun Barnes

DevOps Team Lead

Mark Hudson

Non-Exec Director -

Mark works with SMEs and charities to develop strategies to help them grow and access development capital. He is a NED, charity trustee and mentor to a wide range of people. His plural career started in 2017 after 16 years at pwc as a Deals partner working with large corporates and PE houses; at pwc he also ran the Retail and Consumer practice and was Chairman of the pwc UK Supervisory Board. Prior to pwc he was an executive director at Welcome Break and Iceland Group, and a partner at Bain and Company. He trained as an engineer at Imperial College and has an MBA from INSEAD. 

Register for our event

Sign-up to future Quod Orbis events

Eamon Flavin

Non-Exec Director -

Eamon is a highly regarded and massively respected technology career professional as well as serial entrepreneur. He has started, grown and successfully taken to market three technology business.

Genuinely expert in technology, Eamon has enjoyed long-term working relationships with many of the world’s top companies and organisations in finance, banking, government, manufacturing, engineering, technology and the charities sector.

He draws on unparalleled contacts and experience and provides advice, solutions and recommendations, as well as helping respond to emergencies. Eamon has grown in-house and client teams and has a gift for hiring great people.

Peter Martin

Non-Exec Director -

Peter has the ability to do what many fail to and that is to consistently bring together highly professional teams and build a business environment that is supportive, agile, professional and where everyone enjoys coming into the office.

Bringing a unique blend of business acumen and technical knowledge to the role of non-exec director, Peter has already demonstrated his ability to bring an exceptional flair for dealing with complex situations with a clear, considered approach.

Personally, Peter brings humility and a strong moral compass to the team. His disarming and self-deprecating approach wins everyone over.

Anwen Haynes

Head of Marketing -

Anwen has worked in B2B and B2C marketing for over 20 years. From transforming end-to-end customer journeys in retail with strategic customer-centric plans to target driven focused strategies for B2B sales. With extensive experience in digital marketing including SEO, as well as Brand development, she loves to develop a cohesive approach to brand image and communications to drive and develop the business proposition and perception.

Alice Walker

Head of Customer Success -

Alice has worked in the IT industry for 20 years. Starting in Procurement, she moved into Software Asset Management before transitioning into Customer Success Management. Working across a variety of roles for different industries as both a customer and a service provider has given her a great understanding of what makes a great service. She has always been passionate about building and maintaining great customer relationships and helping her customers achieve their goals.

Owain Rowley

Lead Developer -

Owain has spent nearly a decade building software solutions and products within the cyber security sphere for the likes of government entities, large telecommunication companies, banks and card transaction companies.

This level of experience allows him to swiftly identify business and security processes that can be streamlined with automation, increase the efficiency of existing processes, as well as generate insightful data visualisations and models for members of an organisation at each different level.

Ami Penolver

Head of HR & Legal -

Ami is a finance sector career professional, with many years’ experience working in financial services, both in London and throughout the UK. In addition to financial control, she looks after HR and legal for the company.

Being a mother of two also equips her with the basic skills required to manage a senior team of management and technology consultants.

Ami’s sense of balance and perspective is an essential ingredient of the Quod Orbis culture.

Alastair Dickson

Commercial Director -

Alastair has spent the last 20 years working in Cyber Security and Risk Management. He is a passionate believer that security solutions should enable a business to take advantage of all the benefits of the digital world, while not putting the organisation’s data or productivity at risk.

Alastair has developed high-performing teams in some of the industry’s most competitive markets and launched new innovative technologies to market.

Being a rugby coach, and also having four sons at home, means he has lots of experience in keeping a passionate team in order but always has time for some fun!

Gary Penolver

CTO -

Gary has 15 years’ experience in senior technology roles, and has already been closely involved in starting and taking two technology companies to market.

Totally comfortable with a fast-moving, state-of-the-art technical landscape, he helps his clients maintain and improve security and compliance.

He has a reputation for delivering pragmatic and easy to maintain solutions – business owners and managers enjoy knowing that the security and compliance is well managed and automated, properly instrumented and reported at a competitive cost point.

Honest, open, unflappable and very social, Gary is trusted by many household-name organisations to protect their, and their client’s data.

Martin Greenfield

CEO -

Martin is an experienced technology and organisational transformation specialist and an excellent, proven leader and communicator in mission-critical operations, particularly in security technology.

Over the past 20 years, multi-billion pound commercial organisations, including global banks, utilities and major investment funds have trusted Martin to transform their operations to meet financial, operational and compliance targets.

Martin optimises operations, managing and transforming operational teams of between 50 and 500 people, to deliver the highest levels of audit compliance, risk management and financial efficiency.

Often working with other major consultancies and suppliers for new global corporate owners or management teams, Martin will help integrate and streamline operations on a global basis.

Thank you.

Please register your contact details with us to receive links to insightful blog articles as soon as they are published.

Sign Up!

Fill in your details to access the Liberty & QO White Paper

Request a Quod Orbis CCM demo

Contact us to schedule a demo of the Quod Orbis CCM managed platform.

See it for yourself – automated Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM), with complete cyber controls visibility in a single pane of glass, continuance compliance, automated audits, our unique service wrap, and more.

Please complete your details and a member of the Quod Orbis team will be in touch soon.