Case Study
Creating Business Level Insights From Cyber Metrics for a National Fast Casual Restaurant Franchisor
Introduction
In the highly transactional environment of the fast casual food industry, a prominent national chain faced a significant challenge: A lack of business-level insight into its cybersecurity risks and overall posture. As cyber threats evolved, the chain’s non-technical leadership were challenged to translate technically complex and detailed cyber metrics, rendering decision-making around cybersecurity investments inefficient and often misguided.
The Challenge
The primary challenge was the food chain’s inability to translate technical cyber risk data into actionable business intelligence. Leadership required a method to comprehensively understand and evaluate the cyber risks without delving into the technical complexities. This gap in understanding hindered effective decision-making, leading to potential over-investment in the wrong areas and vulnerabilities in the chain's cybersecurity posture. Additionally, data was siloed across various systems and tools, complicating the aggregation and interpretation of cyber risk metrics.
The Solution
To bridge this gap, Northramp developed a tailored solution leveraging the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) coupled with a simplified maturity model. This approach aimed to clarify cybersecurity risks for non-technical leaders by translating complex metrics into straightforward, business-relevant insights. Key components of the solution included:
Data Integration: Northramp implemented a system to ingest data from a wide array of systems, tools, and sources. This integration facilitated a holistic view of cybersecurity metrics, ensuring all relevant data was accessible and accounted for.
Dashboard Development: Utilizing the ingested data, Northramp designed a 'single pane' dashboard. This dashboard provided a visual representation of cybersecurity maturity across the organization, highlighting areas of strength and those needing investment.
Maturity Model Application: The use of a simple maturity model allowed the leadership to easily understand their current cybersecurity status and make informed decisions on where to allocate resources for improvement.
Outcomes
The implementation of Northramp’s solution helped enable meaningful insights into the food chain’s approach to cybersecurity management. The key benefits included:
Enhanced Decision-Making: The simplified dashboard and maturity model provided the leadership with clear, actionable insights, enabling them to make informed decisions about cybersecurity investments.
Increased Cybersecurity Maturity: With better insight into their cybersecurity posture, the food chain was able to strategically enhance their defenses, reducing the overall risk of cyber threats.
Cost Efficiency: By prioritizing areas of critical need, the organization could allocate resources more effectively, avoiding unnecessary expenditures in less impactful areas.
Northramp’s innovative approach to cybersecurity risk management is emblematic of how it empowers business leaders to make smarter, more informed decisions, ultimately strengthening an organization's cyber and risk posture.