Cybersecurity has traditionally focused on technical performance, such as detecting threats and responding faster. And while this has delivered significant value, it has not solved the fundamental challenge of organisations understanding the true business impact of cyber security events. All too often, CISOs are focused on interpreting technical noise, while the board is asking strategic questions. This disconnect exists because cybersecurity still mainly speaks the language of technology rather than that of business risk, says Notis Iliopoulos, VP of Managed Risk and Controls at the platform Obrela, pictured.
To be effective, detection and response must evolve into a tightly risk-aligned discipline. Cybersecurity must do more than identify malicious activity and start contextualising what that activity means for operations, continuity, compliance and strategic objectives. Security needs to be not just technically competent but also operationally relevant.
The limits of traditional detection
Most organisations are still using severity-based classification as their primary decision tool. Incidents are labelled critical, high, medium or low depending on the aggressiveness of the threat, or its behaviour on the endpoint or network. But severity is not the same as impact. For example, a high-severity alert on an isolated non-critical server may represent negligible business risk. Whereas a moderate-level anomaly affecting a revenue-generating application could threaten service continuity, breach regulatory thresholds or erode customer trust.
This is where the industry’s longstanding reliance on technical data isn’t enough. Detections tell us what happened, but rarely why it matters. Without a business context, the output from even the most sophisticated detection engines requires further interpretation. CISOs must translate technical alerts into operational meaning, often with limited visibility into interdependencies, data flows or downstream consequences. This leads to delays and inconsistency in decision-making.
The value of cybersecurity is in helping organisations make informed choices under pressure. And that requires speaking the language leaders understand – risk, impact and continuity.
Context is the missing layer
To elevate cybersecurity, organisations must embed business context into every phase of detection and response. This begins with understanding what truly matters to the business. These include critical assets, essential processes, high-value data sets, operational interdependencies and regulatory requirements. Once these elements are mapped, detectionbecomes far more meaningful.
Threat intelligence is more actionable when it is aligned with organisational risk models. A new attack technique targeting cloud authentication workflows is more relevant if that workflow underpins a critical business service. Vulnerability exposure becomes a governance issue when it affects regulated environments or customer-facing platforms. Anomalous activity becomes urgent when it threatens availability or compromises a high-value user’s identity.
With this context, technical signals become risk signals. And when this context is seamlesslywoven into monitoring, detection engineering, triage and escalation workflows, cybersecurity becomes an early-warning system for business disruption, not merely a way to catalogue malicious events.
A risk-driven operational model
To ensure a truly risk-aligned approach, organisations need structural change in both how incidents are assessed and how they are acted upon. In this way, all security operations will be measured by their actual contribution to business outcomes. Detection and response are not isolated technical activities. They are part of a continuous governance loop that connects controls, risks, threats and response actions into a unified operational model.
In a risk-driven model, an alert is assessed in terms of potential impact on critical functions, likelihood of escalation and alignment with the organisation’s risk tolerance. Escalations become more accurate because they are tied to business relevance and not just on severity or technical signature. Decision-makers don’t just get an incident ticket, they get an understanding of the potential disruption, exposure or financial consequence to their business. In this way, security workflows can shift from reactive firefighting to having proactive control of risk. At its heart, this approach is all about replacing technical noise with clear, contextualised insight.
Strategic asset
Boards and executives are not looking for a list of attack vectors. They need to understand the potential risk in terms of operational and strategic outcomes. It is only when cyber operations communicate using these terms that they can truly become a strategic asset.
The shift evolves the CISO’s role. Instead of relaying alert volumes or technical detail, the CISO is given the information needed to explain scenarios, probabilities and consequences. This enables them to better advise on investment priorities, demonstrate the organisation’sactual risk exposure and show where controls are effective or not enough. Having this clarity enables faster and more confident decisions. It builds trust throughout the organisation and positions cybersecurity as a business enabler rather than just something that must be done.
This shift to risk-aligned detection and response is now essential for business operations. Most organisations now rely on complex digital ecosystems where even small failures can cascade across business units, supply chains and customer channels. Threat actors are alsoincreasingly targeting these interdependencies rather than isolated systems.
Implementing a risk-driven operational model, such as Obrela’s MRC approach, will enable this evolution. It ensures that detection is not viewed in isolation but is integrated into the broader fabric of risk governance. It also ensures that response actions are aligned with business priorities. And it empowers CISOs to speak with authority in the language of risk.
The MRC service delivery model stands out by combining the power of platform automation with expert consulting, delivering several unique benefits MRC provides CISOs with a comprehensive, real-time, and centralised approach to managing the entire cybersecurity lifecycle—governance, risk, compliance, privacy, supply chain, and operational resilience.
Having this alignment with risk and business outcomes is the foundation of effective, resilient and strategically relevant cybersecurity.
