The Real Reason for Data Breaches? Too Many Organizations Have a Wishbone Where a Backbone Should Be.
The root cause of all digital threats is not exactly a missed patch or a clicked link. Its merely a side effect of neglecting an unsexy and boring component of Cybersecurity, called GRC.
One might think that every major breach starts with a missed patch or link that was clicked.
At the surface it may appear to be true, but if you look closely, the root cause of it all was a lack of governance.
In other words, a policy left unenforced. A responsibility left undefined or kept vague.
Governance isn’t glamorous. It cannot be portrayed in movies to make it look cool, but it’s the quiet architecture that keeps organizations from collapsing under chaos.
It’s what ensures that every security decision aligns with your organization’s mission, goals, and risk appetite.
That’s where Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) comes in.
Together, these three components form the backbone of every mature security program.
Let’s break down how governance principles shape security, what due care and due diligence really mean, and the roles that keep an organization’s security posture strong.
1. Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
Governance: The Framework of Control
Governance defines the structures, processes, and information flow that guide how an organization operates.
Security governance ensures that cybersecurity isn’t a standalone function, instead it’s integrated into business strategy from the start.
This includes developing:
Policies, standards, and procedures that define how data is protected.
Clear security objectives that align with business goals.
Monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure accountability and progress tracking.
Effective governance gives structure to the chaos, transforming security from reactive defense to proactive risk management.
Risk: Identifying and Managing Threats
Risk management is the art of balancing exposure and control.
It involves identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks that could impact the organization’s assets and reputation.
Security professionals assess factors like:
Threats and vulnerabilities
Impact and likelihood
Cost-benefit of mitigation
Risk mitigation strategies might include risk transfer (insurance), risk acceptance, or avoidance but the process never ends.
Continuous monitoring keeps the organization adaptive to new threats and emerging vulnerabilities.
Compliance: Staying Within the Lines
Compliance ensures that security aligns with the laws, regulations, and standards governing your industry.
This can include:
GDPR for data protection
HIPAA for healthcare privacy
ISO 27001 or NIST standards for information security
Security professionals work alongside legal teams to interpret and apply these laws correctly.
Much like our Society and culture, Compliance isn’t static, it evolves over time.
As regulations change, so must the organization’s policies and controls to remain compliant.
2. Aligning Security with Business Objectives
For security to add value, it must align with the strategy, mission, goals, and objectives of the business.
This means integrating security planning into strategic discussions early, prioritizing protection for critical assets, maintaining clear communication across departments, and tracking security metrics to demonstrate results.
Losing sight of business goals can cause security teams to focus on irrelevant issues which creates friction instead of value.
3. Due Diligence vs. Due Care
These two terms often confuse even seasoned professionals, but understanding them is critical.
Due diligence means identifying and analyzing risks before they become incidents.
It’s the research and discovery phase of security.
Its kinda like conducting risk assessments, reviewing applicable laws and regulations, and evaluating vendors and third-party partners.
Due care, on the other hand, takes it a step further. It means acting on what was discovered during due diligence.
This involves implementing security controls and policies, training employees, and maintaining secure systems.
A simple analogy:
If a store manager sees ice on the sidewalk, that’s due diligence.
The store manager recognized that the ice on the sidewalk, is a hazard, but that isn’t enough.
Taking the necessary steps to mitigate the hazard is due care.
In this scenario, spreading salt to melt the ice on the sidewalk is due care.
This action, i.e, due care, prevents accidents from taking place.
So remember it like this:
Due Diligence = To Detect
Due Care = To Correct
4. Governance in Organizational Change
When organizations evolve through mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures, often times it comes with additional security challenges.
For this reason, the security measures taken must evolve too.
During acquisitions, both companies’ security cultures, risk profiles, and compliance standards must be assessed and harmonized.
In divestitures, data segregation and access revocation become crucial to prevent data leaks when business units separate.
And governance committees play an oversight role in reviewing policies, allocating resources, and ensuring that new security initiatives align with organizational goals.
5. Key Roles and Responsibilities in Security Governance
Every strong security framework depends on clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
At the top of any organization sits the Board of Directors, which sets the organization’s overall risk appetite and governance framework.
They are ultimately accountable for ensuring that security strategies align with business objectives and legal requirements.
Below them is Management, including the C-suite and departmental managers, who translate the board’s directives into action.
They develop the necessary policies, controls, and operational procedures to embed security across the organization.
An Audit Committee, which are typically either part of or reporting to the board oversees financial reporting and ensures security controls are effective and compliant with regulations.
Data Owners (such as department heads) are responsible for specific data sets.
For example, the HR manager acts as the data owner for employee information, setting access permissions and defining who can view or modify data.
Data Custodians implement these permissions. They handle the technical configurations that enforce access controls as determined by data owners.
System Owners manage the systems hosting data like servers or databases ensuring they’re patched, backed up, and functioning properly.
In some cases, System Administrators fulfill both roles, overseeing daily system operations and user management.
Security Analysts continuously monitor networks and systems for breaches or anomalies, conduct vulnerability scans, and recommend improvements to strengthen the organization’s defense posture.
Auditors independently evaluate how effective security controls and policies are, ensuring accountability and transparency.
And finally, End Users form the first line of defense. Their adherence to security policies and awareness training determines how well an organization can defend against human error and social engineering.
6. The Core Principle: Integration, Not Isolation
Security governance is not a department, it’s a culture.
When Governance, risk management, and compliance work together, they ensure that security supports innovation, rather than hindering it.
Organizations that integrate security into every layer, from strategic planning to daily operations achieve not just compliance, but true resilience to any and all cybersecurity threats.