1. What is security debt, and how is it different from technical debt?
Security debt is the accumulation of vulnerabilities and outright gaps that occurs as technology products and portfolios mature and network architectures and security baselines evolve. If IT stands still while the world around it changes, dangers accrue on their own. Unlike technical debt, security debt includes unknown risks and unpredictable mitigations: You don’t know what you don’t know. This hidden security debt presents risks to business operations and consumer privacy, invites cyberattacks and can lead to compliance and audit failures.
2. What are common causes of security debt?
Relying on specialized equipment and niche software systems may result in accumulating more security debt than expected. IT teams often must rely on patchwork solutions to integrate legacy systems with newer applications and networks, and each obsolete or obscure device in the network adds to the risk profile.
FIND OUT: See how to maintain the health and performance of your IT with observability services.
3. What happens when security debt accumulates?
The risks of security debt can be severe, from a slowdown in daily operations to a breach compromising brand reputation. When unaddressed vulnerabilities accumulate, small businesses can face more than just financial losses.
4. What strategies can IT use to reduce the risk of security debt?
Operationally, strategies such as continuous monitoring constantly assess the security status of networks, systems, devices and applications. With real-time visibility into security posture, IT teams can prioritize remediation of risks before they turn into breaches. More important, though, is long-term management of security debt. High-quality vulnerability assessment tools, outside risk assessments and budget support to replace the most vulnerable legacy systems all help mitigate security debt. IT teams should also conduct impact assessments to prioritize patching and protect business-critical devices and applications.
READ MORE: How to achieve full-stack observability in your business.
5. How can an IT team balance workflow needs with remediation?
IT teams need to fight to put security debt reduction as a line item — and deliverable — in capital plans and operational priority lists. Business leaders may prioritize strategic goals for growth, so IT teams must clearly present data to management on the hidden risk security debt poses to those goals. Debt accumulates when things are out of balance. This means that IT must have a seat at the table to ensure that underinvestment in security doesn’t lead to catastrophic system failure in the future.
