Company: Leading Telecommunications Provider
Key Drivers: To enhance the cybersecurity posture of the organization by developing a comprehensive information security strategy and an actionable roadmap, addressing the unique challenges of the telecommunications sector, including data privacy, network security, and compliance with industry standards.
Approach
Initial Assessment and Context Understanding:
- Business Context Analysis: Conducted a detailed analysis of the organization’s business operations, key assets (such as customer data, network infrastructure, and proprietary technologies), and existing security measures.
- Threat Landscape Evaluation: Assessed the specific threat landscape for the telecommunications industry, including risks related to network breaches, DDoS attacks, insider threats, and regulatory non-compliance.
- Gap Analysis: Identified gaps in current security posture through vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and a review of existing security policies against NIST CSF.
Strategy Development:
Risk-Based Approach:
Developed a risk-based cybersecurity strategy focusing on critical areas, including network security, data protection, incident response, and third-party risk management.
Stakeholder Alignment:
Conducted workshops with key stakeholders, including IT, operations, compliance, and management teams, to align the strategy with the organization’s objectives and regulatory requirements.
Policy and Framework Development:
Created or updated security policies and frameworks to address identified risks, covering aspects such as access control, encryption standards, data loss prevention (DLP), and secure configuration of network devices.
Actionable Roadmap Creation:
Prioritization of Initiatives:
Developed an actionable roadmap that prioritized initiatives based on risk levels, potential impact, and resource availability. This included immediate actions, such as tightening access controls, and longer-term projects, such as implementing advanced threat detection and response capabilities.
Phased Implementation:
The roadmap was structured in phases to allow for manageable implementation, beginning with foundational security controls and progressively advancing to more sophisticated measures, such as AI-driven threat intelligence and automated incident response.
Engagement Model
Collaborative Workshops:
Engaged in collaborative workshops with cross-functional teams to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the telecommunications business environment and to gather input on security priorities.
Agile Implementation:
Adopted an agile approach to implementation, allowing for rapid iteration and adjustments based on ongoing feedback and changing threat dynamics.
Continuous Communication:
Maintained continuous communication with key stakeholders through regular progress updates, risk review sessions, and strategy refinement meetings.
Proposed Schedule
- Week 1-2: Kick-off and Initial AssessmentConduct kick-off meetings, define scope, and begin the assessment of current security posture and business context.
- Week 3-4: Threat and Gap Analysis
Perform a threat landscape evaluation and detailed gap analysis, identifying key vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. - Week 5-6: Strategy Development
Develop a tailored cybersecurity strategy, draft policies, and align with stakeholder expectations through review sessions. - Week 7: Stakeholder Review and Feedback
Present the draft strategy and receive feedback from stakeholders, making necessary adjustments to align with business priorities. - Week 8-9: Roadmap Finalization
Finalize the actionable roadmap with detailed timelines, resource allocation, and specific milestones for each phase of implementation. - Week 10-14: Initial Implementation Phase
Begin implementing high-priority security measures, focusing on critical areas such as network segmentation, access control enhancements, and initial training sessions. - Ongoing: Continuous Evaluation and Adaptation
- Set up a schedule for continuous evaluation, including quarterly reviews, security audits, and strategy updates to address new threats and changes in the business environment.
Outcome:
- Strategic Roadmap: Developed a 12-month roadmap with actionable steps to enhance the organization’s maturity, including investments in advanced security technologies, improved monitoring capabilities, and enhanced governance.
- Improvement Metrics: Established key metrics to measure progress, such as mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR).
- Proposed Schedule: The assessment was completed in 10 weeks, with an ongoing partnership to support the implementation of the roadmap.