Budget season is upon us, and everyone in your organization is vying for their slice of the pie. Every year, every department has a pet project that they present as absolutely essential to profitability, business continuity, and quite possibly the future of humanity itself. And no doubt that some of these actually may be mission critical. But as cybersecurity professionals, we understand that the rollout of a viable CTEM (Continuous Threat Exposure Management) program actually is.
In any year, cybersecurity investments are tough budgetary sells – they’re hard to quantify and don’t always clearly drive revenues or cut costs. In today’s belt-tightening climate, all the more so. Even though cybersecurity budgets will likely grow this year according to Forrester, it’s still important to make sure today that CTEM doesn’t slip down the budget priority list.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to keep CTEM on the budgetary radar.
But First – Here are Some Reasons Why CTEM is Objectively Crucial
The CTEM approach marks a major shift in cybersecurity because it helps organizations go from simply reacting to threats to actively staying ahead of them. Instead of just responding after an attack hits, CTEM emphasizes constant monitoring. This empowers cyber teams to spot and resolve potential weaknesses before they’re exploited.
As we know, cyberattacks are not only getting smarter and more frequent – they’re also happening faster than ever. The time between discovery and exploitation of vulnerabilities is almost nonexistent. CTEM equips organizations to keep up with this fast-paced cycle. It basically pressure-tests security defenses in real-time and helps them adapt as new threats emerge.
What makes CTEM especially effective is its baked-in understanding that every organization has a unique risk profile. CTEM helps security teams customize their approach to target the specific threats that matter most to their organization. This is why CTEM isn’t just a helpful addition to cybersecurity – it’s essential. Organizations that leverage CTEM are better positioned to stay ahead of risks, proactively guard against cyber threats, and avoid costly breaches.
Moreover, it provides continuous visibility into an organization’s attack surface, allowing for real-time identification of new vulnerabilities and exposures. This proactive approach enables organizations to address threats before they can be exploited. You get the opposition’s playbook, which allows for more effective risk prioritization and mitigation. It goes beyond simple vulnerability scores to provide context-aware prioritization, considering factors such as asset criticality, threat intelligence, and exploitability. This ensures that resources are focused on the most critical risks. It also enables organizations to proactively approach risk mitigation, addressing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This reduces the likelihood of successful attacks and minimizes their impact.
CTEM also helps security and IT teams collaborate and communicate more effectively, to break down silos and take a more unified approach to risk management. And it taps into current threat data to understand the latest attack trends and tactics and adapts its testing process. This leads to more effective risk mitigation and helps you anticipate where threat actors are likely to attack next.
And finally, and very important in the context of this argument, CTEM drives down costs associated with security breaches by proactively identifying and remediating them. This means you get the most value from your limited security budgets.
The CTEM Elevator Pitch
Okay, great. Now you know why CTEM is so crucial – but how would you explain CTEM if you found yourself in an elevator (preferably a pretty long ride, from say, the ground floor to the 100th floor) with your CFO? Here’s how the argument could go:
We all agree that simply reacting to cyber threats or ongoing cyberattacks is not an option. This is why CTEM fundamentally changes the cybersecurity game. It helps us preemptively identify and fix vulnerabilities before they turn into costly disasters. And this proactive approach doesn’t just strengthen our defenses – it saves serious money over time.
Consider this: with CTEM, we’re slashing the financial risks tied to data breaches, regulatory fines, and potential lawsuits. Plus, we’re eliminating the staggering costs of post-attack recovery – like forensic investigations, public crisis management, and system restoration. Each of these items alone can easily cost more than implementing CTEM in the first place.
But CTEM doesn’t stop there. With a more resilient cybersecurity posture, we keep essential systems up and running, preventing disruptions that would otherwise harm productivity, cut into revenue, or even jeopardize the company’s future. CTEM isn’t just a win for the security team – it’s a safeguard for the entire organization. It’s a boost to our brand reputation because it ensures that our clients, partners, and stakeholders can trust us to deliver without interruption.
And let’s not forget: CTEM is built to evolve. It’s future-ready, adapting to new threats as they emerge, so we’re never caught off guard. By investing in CTEM today, we’re not just protecting against current risks; we’re building the foundation for sustained growth and resilience well into the future.
So that’s the argument. But since you can’t count on getting quality CFO elevator time, here are nine tips to make sure your CTEM program gets the budgetary attention it deserves.
9 Tips to Keep CTEM on the 2025 Budgetary Radar
- Make it about managing business risk, not just threats: Present CTEM tools as a way to handle overall business risk, not just as a remedy to individual cyber threats. Emphasize how it supports key business objectives rather than focusing solely on isolated assets.
- Identify cost-saving potential: Demonstrate how CTEM could reduce costs by lowering risks of fines, lowering IT workload, or even reducing cyber insurance premiums.
- Use recent incidents as evidence: Refer to recent security incidents affecting similar companies to emphasize the possible risks of forgoing CTEM. Real-life examples can underscore the importance and timeliness of your initiative.
- Use internal data: Support your case with internal data on previous threats or attacks and their effects. This grounds your proposal in the organization’s specific context, making it more convincing and relevant.
- Validate existing tools: Verify and explain how your current security tools are optimized and effective. Illustrate how this new initiative will enhance or integrate with your current capabilities.
- Highlight industry trends: Showcase how other leading companies are adopting similar measures. Demonstrate that others in your sector are advancing with these protections and stress the need to keep up with industry standards.
- Compare options: Examine multiple solutions, comparing features and costs. Regardless of price, be prepared to justify why your choice best suits the organization’s needs.
- Plan for personnel needs: A CTEM program requires skilled professionals. Whether proposing internal training or working with a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), ensure your staffing and skill development strategy is ready.
- Outline a clear execution plan: Provide a specific timeline for implementation and expected results. Set clear success metrics and outline when the organization will begin to see returns.
The Bottom Line
As we head into 2025 budget talks, a well-presented case for CTEM practically makes itself. Cyber threats aren’t just hitting harder – they’re hitting faster. And the cost of doing nothing could be staggering. Industry trends are clear: companies are pouring more resources into proactive security because it’s no longer just about “patching things up.” By positioning CTEM as a cornerstone of your risk management, you’re not just defending organizational assets – you’re protecting the organization’s bottom line and boosting resilience. Prioritizing CTEM in the budget isn’t just a smart move – it’s an investment in the company’s long-term stability and security.
Note: This article was expertly written and contributed by Jason Fruge, Resident CISO at XM Cyber.