Op-Ed: Disconnected data, disconnected decisions – the hidden risk in fragmented operations

As boards demand better oversight and regulators increase scrutiny, many cyber security leaders are still manually consolidating spreadsheets to make sense of their risk posture. It’s an inefficient, error-prone process that fails to capture the dynamic nature of today’s threat environment. Critically, it lacks the accuracy and depth required to communicate cyber risk in business terms. Worse still, when every department relies on a different system to interpret risk – often through separate lenses like compliance, vulnerability or operational risk – the result is a patchwork of decisions without a coherent strategy.

It’s not sustainable. It’s time to rethink how we manage and operationalise risk – connecting the dots across the business before the next threat strikes.

The hidden risk of fragmentation

Too often, organisations fall into the “best-of-breed” trap – accumulating point solutions in pursuit of depth, only to create greater complexity. With no single source of truth, CISOs struggle to answer fundamental questions: “What are our most valuable assets? Where are we most exposed? Which risks matter most?”

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Inconsistent data leads to inconsistent decisions. One team flags a vulnerability as critical; another deprioritises it based on different metrics – and the same risk ends up being interpreted differently, resulting in misaligned strategies and duplicated effort.

This fragmentation doesn’t just slow down response times and remediation – it undermines trust. If cyber risk is not presented consistently in the context of business impact, it’s nearly impossible to align cyber security with broader business objectives. And when security leaders can’t clearly communicate risk to their CFOs and the board, confidence in both the function and the strategy suffers.

Rethinking risk operations

To tackle this, organisations need to shift from fragmented operations to integrated risk thinking. That starts by asking: are we looking at risk in the right context?

Managing cyber security in isolation without business context may lead to misaligned priorities or, worse, wasted efforts that don’t actually reduce risk. The goal isn’t to identify every possible vulnerability, but to understand which risks pose the greatest threat to business outcomes – and to act decisively. That requires consolidating signals from across the organisation and analysing them through a unified lens.

As part of this approach, security leaders must engage more deeply with other areas of the business. “Risk” means different things to different functions – CFOs focus on financial exposure and business continuity, while compliance teams prioritise regulatory adherence. Each department brings a unique perspective, but they all converge on one principle: understanding the financial impact of disruption. For cyber security leaders, aligning risk signals to this shared language of business is essential. Providing detailed, contextualised data turns technical signals into business knowledge – and, over time, into wisdom. This is what allows organisations to make informed decisions, reduce uncertainty, and act with confidence.

To make this work in practice, businesses need a central point where risk data, context, and operational direction come together. Where a Security Operations Centre (SOC) handles incident alerts post-breach, a Risk Operations Centre (ROC) takes a more proactive, preventive approach. A ROC helps organisations prioritise actions based on business impact, likelihood or probabilities of risk scenarios, and potential loss value. It then helps to orchestrate risk remediation, mitigation, or transfer. This model supports collaboration across business units by offering a common operating picture of risk – not just from a threat perspective, but from the standpoint of value protection.

Modern risk operations demand more than visibility. They require the ability to monitor continuously, translate technical issues into business-relevant insights, and trigger coordinated responses at speed. A cohesive approach – across hybrid, cloud, and on-premises environments – doesn’t just increase efficiency. It delivers security at scale.

This shift also calls for a re-evaluation of the traditional “best-of-breed” mindset. While specialised tools offer depth, they often create silos. Prioritising interoperability and shared context across teams is a more sustainable and scalable approach. And while moving to an integrated model may seem daunting, many organisations are finding that the benefits far outweigh the complexity.

Turning risk into resilience

Achieving this integrated view doesn’t have to be an all-at-once transformation, and it doesn’t need to happen overnight. Start with small, pragmatic steps – mapping existing risk signals, identifying the most business-critical exposures and streamlining communication between cyber security and business departments.

The key is recognising risk is no longer just a technical problem. It’s a strategic priority. In an environment defined by uncertainty, resilience hinges on the ability to operationalise risk as a coordinated, business-aligned discipline.

In the end, it’s not just about managing risk. It’s about mastering it.