Mapping Assessments Across Standard Frameworks More Easily

4 minute read

May 2022

Maintaining a standard security framework has become increasingly crucial for businesses in today’s digital age. As technology stacks continue to change and evolve, managing organizational risk and compliance across multiple platforms, third-party vendors, and remote workforces becomes more challenging. Add to these challenges that there are now nearly endless types of compliance regulations that impact numerous industries, including GDPR, PCI DSS, NERC, CMMC, etc., and it’s no wonder that security and compliance have become a top concern for business leaders.

One way to help manage all of these security concerns effectively is by mapping business risk assessments to specific security frameworks. In this article, we will discuss why utilizing a standard security framework is crucial for modern-day businesses and how you can successfully map your assessments to provide better visibility and control over your organizational risks.

What Is a Security Framework and Why Should You Use One?

A security framework is a set of rules, guidelines, or best practices that organizations can use to help them create and implement an effective security program. Specific frameworks have been designed for different types of businesses and industries, but there are some general security frameworks that can be applied to any kind of organization.

Some of the most popular security frameworks include:

  • The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)
  • Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT)
  • ISO/IEC 27001 
  • Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Each framework has its own specific set of requirements. Still, they all share a common goal – to help organizations better understand their risks and vulnerabilities so they can take steps to mitigate them. When used correctly, a security framework can be an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes and can create a strong foundation for an effective security program. 

There are many reasons businesses should consider using a security framework, but perhaps the most important is that it helps ensure compliance with various security standards. By mapping business assessments to a standard framework, businesses can more easily see where their gaps are and work to close them.

Maintaining a standard security framework allows businesses to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity threats while scaling their infrastructure, third-party vendors, and employee base. Frameworks provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to managing an organization’s security posture and can give various long-term benefits, including:

  • Helps organizations manage their risk exposure internally and externally
  • Supports the development and implementation of new policies and procedures
  • Provide a common language for planning for and mitigating cybersecurity risks
  • Creates practical measurements for an organization when improving its cybersecurity posture

Why Mapping Your Risk Assessments is Critical

If you’re like most organizations, you have a variety of risk assessments that you perform regularly. These assessments help you identify and quantify the risks your organization faces. However, while the data analysis from these assessments is valuable, without having a clear understanding of how this information can be actionable to improve your security posture, it’s of little use.

Mapping your risk assessments to a standard security framework is critical to make this data actionable. By understanding how your risks align with industry-recognized standards, you can better prioritize the remediation efforts that will have the most significant impact on your organization’s overall security.

Another important reason to map your risk assessments is to ensure that you’re covering all of the bases. When it comes to security, there are many moving parts, and it can be easy to overlook something important. This is especially the case when evaluating multiple levels of risk associated with your third-party vendor relationships. As your organization creates more and more relationships with vendors, it’s crucial to ensure that each one is appropriately assessed and that the risks are being effectively managed.

Mapping your risk assessments to a standard security framework can help you to accomplish both of these goals. By understanding how your risks fit into the bigger picture, you can develop a more comprehensive view of your organization’s security posture and make better decisions about where to focus your efforts.

How CyberGRX Can Help You Effectively Map Your Business Assessments?

While mapping your business assessment to a security framework can be beneficial, it can also be time-consuming and challenging to do effectively. For many businesses, risk assessments are tackled in various ways and can lack consistency when it comes to data integrity and formatting. This can make risk assessments difficult to compare and contrast, which can make it challenging to identify areas of improvement.

CyberGRX is a third-party cyber risk management platform that helps businesses streamline and automate their risk assessments by providing a centralized, cloud-based repository for all assessment data. CyberGRX’s Framework Mapper makes it easy to map assessments across multiple standard frameworks, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS.

Creating a unified view of all your assessments can help you quickly identify gaps and potential improvements in your security posture. CyberGRX’s Framework Mapper can help you save time and resources by automating the mapping process, allowing you to focus on more important tasks.

Automate Your Mapping Process

Security frameworks provide a valuable structure for businesses to follow when conducting risk assessments. By mapping your business risk assessments to a standard security framework, you can improve the consistency and accuracy of your data, which can in turn help you identify areas of improvement.

By relying on a framework mapping solution like CyberGRX’s Framework Mapper, businesses can not only automate their mapping process but also save time and resources that can be better used analyzing relevant data points and making data-informed decisions around risk mitigation.

To learn more about how CyberGRX can help you manage your third-party cyber risk, request a demo today.

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About Us

ProcessUnity is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for risk and compliance management. The company’s software as a service (SaaS) platform gives organizations the control to assess, measure, and mitigate risk and to ensure the optimal performance of key business processes. ProcessUnity’s flagship solution, ProcessUnity Vendor Risk Management, protects companies and their brands by reducing risks from third-party vendors and suppliers. ProcessUnity helps customers effectively and efficiently assess and monitor both new and existing vendors – from initial due diligence and onboarding through termination. Headquartered outside of Boston, Massachusetts, ProcessUnity is used by the world’s leading financial service firms and commercial enterprises. For more information, visit www.processunity.com.