For years in industrial cybersecurity, I’ve heard phrases like “I think we’re fine,” “the audit went well,” or “we have many controls in place.” And yet, when a real incident happens, those phrases disappear. Because at that moment, opinions no longer matter. Only data does.
Complying with standards does not mean being prepared for a cyber incident.
I recently wrote about something uncomfortable but necessary: complying with standards does not mean being prepared for a cyber incident. Compliance brings order, helps, and is necessary, but preparedness is something else. Being prepared means proving that when something fails, the organization keeps operating.
An audit is a snapshot, while maturity is a movie.
We’ve also talked about organizational maturity. And here’s another uncomfortable truth: an audit is a snapshot, while maturity is a movie. An audit can tell you how you were on that specific day. Maturity tells you how you evolve, how you react, and how you survive when the context changes.
Having a procedure does not mean knowing how to execute it under pressure.
And then there’s the checklist. We all need checklists, they’re useful and necessary but having something on a checklist does not mean having real capability. Having a procedure does not mean knowing how to execute it under pressure, and having technology does not mean knowing how to use it during a real incident.
The ICSO should not bring opinions to the board; it should bring evidence.
This is where the ICSO role changes. It’s no longer just someone who explains cybersecurity; it’s someone who makes security measurable. The ICSO should not bring opinions to the board, but evidence, trends, and preparedness metrics in short, data that enables decision-making.
Because the right conversation is not “do we have this implemented?” The right conversation is “what would happen if this scenario occurred tomorrow?” And the next, even more important question: “do we have real capability to respond?”
Maturity models and platforms like MACIN start to make sense.
This is where maturity models and platforms like MACIN start to make sense. Not to assign labels or create rankings, but to truly understand where we stand, what gaps exist, and what impact they have on the business’s real resilience.
The future of industrial cybersecurity is not about having more or better controls. It needs more clarity, more evidence, and better demonstrable capability. It’s about being able to look the Board in the eye and speak in terms of real preparedness, not theoretical implementation.
Because in the end, in industry, cybersecurity is not an opinion, it’s a capability. And capabilities, just like physical safety or operational continuity, are demonstrated with data.