This is the first in a five-part series helping business and IT leaders navigate today’s cybersecurity realities, from building an internal security program to evaluating outside support. And it all starts with one deceptively simple question: What are you actually protecting against?
Modern businesses rely on technology as a given. Cloud platforms, AI tools, and automated systems are baked into nearly every operation. But this reliance comes at a cost — digital protection is now a core responsibility for every organization, whether you're a multinational enterprise or an entrepreneur scaling fast. And therein lies the challenge: there simply aren’t enough experienced cybersecurity professionals to go around.
According to the Canadian Cybersecurity Job Market Overview and Global Comparison report of Q1 2025, there’s more than 10,000 open cybersecurity roles across the country, most requiring mid- to senior-level skills. At the same time, Canada produces fewer than 4,000 cybersecurity grads annually, leaving a significant gap in the talent pipeline.
Compounding the issue, automation, machine learning and AI have taken over many of the traditional entry level jobs that allowed young professionals to learn and grow. The shrinking pathway into the profession has made it harder to build bench strength needed to defend against increasingly complex threats. Also, across the cybersecurity field, the proliferation of malicious actors and threats goes way faster than we can build experts to fight it out.
Considering this situation, it is no wonder that many companies look to engage a third party some, if not all, of their managed security needs. But even that can prove a challenge. Before you engage with a partner — or a Technology Ally — make sure you have a clear picture of what you need to protect, and why.
Observe the Cardinal Rule: Business First, Security Second
The first principle of cybersecurity is that your security measures must serve your business. Not the other way around. An effective cybersecurity strategy should support business goals, not create barriers to growth and productivity.
That means finding the right balance between protection, usability, and continuity. Security should be fit for purpose — aligned with your operations and appropriate to the level of risk you're willing to accept.
Too often, security vendors play the “doomsday” card. They flood the market with worst-case scenarios and horror stories to convince you to spend more. But just like in the insurance industry, smart decisions come from understanding what truly matters. You don’t insure what you can afford to lose. You insure what you absolutely need to protect.
1. Build a Plan that Reflects Your Business
Once you’ve identified what’s important in your business operations, put together a proper security plan that:
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aligns with your company’s activities,
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reflects your values, and
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supports your purpose, vision, and mission statement.
This becomes the foundation for defining your policies, standards, and controls. Depending on the sector your company operates in, there are likely regulations you can rely on to get you started. For example:
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Healthcare: HIPAA compliance
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Payment processing: PCI-DSS alignment
Finding the right regulation pertaining to your business will help you build your plan and provide you with pre-existing material to make it easier to comply.
2. Know Your Risks, Find the Gaps
Risk assessment is more than a checklist. It’s a structured look at what could go wrong and how serious the impact could be. A good way to perform this is applying the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Here's a simplified version:
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Identify potential failures (e.g. endpoints infection by ransomware)
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Score each risk from 1 to 10 based on:
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Severity: impact of the problem should it happen
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Likelihood: chance of occurrence
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Detection: difficulty to detect
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Multiple scores to calculate the failure criticality score
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Rank by criticality and act from the biggest risk to the lowest
From there you can more easily figure out the necessary controls to put in place to protect your IT environment.
3. Build or Buy: Know Where You Stand
When you’ve assessed your risks and identified the controls you need, the next step is deciding how to implement them in your environment. Can your internal team execute the plan effectively, or will you need external support?
Given the existing talent shortage, many organizations opt for outside help. Even mature IT teams often benefit from a partner that can close knowledge or resource gaps without compromising quality.
Whether you’re developing a cybersecurity roadmap, performing security risks assessments, or rolling out protection tools, Compugen can step in to help. We offer expert support that aligns with your business needs and complements your internal capabilities.
As your Technology Ally, we help you stay secure without losing sight of your goals. Learn more about how Compugen can help.
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