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CISO's guide to implementing a cybersecurity maturity model

By Jerald Murphy

As cyberthreats grow in scale, complexity and impact, CISOs face an urgent imperative: Move beyond reactive modes of operation to develop strategic, measurable and continuously improving security programs.

In today's enterprise, aligning with a reputable cybersecurity maturity model is no longer a best practice -- it is a baseline expectation for safeguarding digital assets, earning stakeholder trust and ensuring regulatory compliance. Cybersecurity maturity models provide structured approaches for evaluating, prioritizing and advancing security capabilities, with a variety of strong frameworks now available to CISOs.

What is a cybersecurity maturity model?

A cybersecurity maturity model is a structured framework that defines stages of cybersecurity effectiveness, from ad hoc and reactive practices to optimized and proactive security operations. These models offer CISOs a lens through which to assess their organizations' current capabilities, identify areas for improvement and chart a path toward greater resilience.

Standard features of a cybersecurity model include the following:

• Tiered or staged levels of maturity.
• Focus on process optimization and risk management.
• Alignment with governance, compliance and strategic business objectives.
• Scalable benchmarks across organizational size and industry verticals.

Adopting a cybersecurity maturity model equips organizations with more than just a scorecard; it provides a foundation for strategic security growth. Using one of these frameworks, CISOs can more readily accomplish the following:

• Identify gaps. Using an industry standard framework enables security professionals to identify concrete gaps in the company's controls, procedures and response capabilities. Identifying these gaps is the first step toward addressing them.
• Establish benchmarks. Benchmarking lets enterprises compare their own security programs to those of their peers and assess how well they align with regulatory requirements and industry norms.
• Prioritize investments. Armed with a comprehensive understanding of a security program's existing security gaps and its strengths and weaknesses relative to benchmarks, CISOs can develop informed, systematic strategies for improvement.

Security leaders should prioritize investments based on the severity of security gaps, the risk those gaps pose to the business and the resources it would take to fix them. Executives will always have more issues to address than money, time or staff to address them. Strategically prioritizing investments is crucial to maximizing the impact of scarce resources.

Benefits of implementing a cybersecurity model

Using a cybersecurity maturity model to identify security gaps, establish benchmarks and prioritize investments leads to the following benefits:

• Greater cybersecurity investment ROI. By strategically allocating resources -- time, money and attention -- CISOs can maximize the return on their cybersecurity investments and get more bang for their buck.
• Better risk management. Every security measure should support broader business goals through risk reduction. A cybersecurity maturity model can help an organization better align its security practices and investments with enterprise risk management strategies.
• Continuous improvement. Security is never "done," as both threats and defensive technology evolve daily. A cybersecurity maturity model provides a structured framework of continuous improvement and staged evolution, with the completion of one project seamlessly transitioning into the next assessment.
• Compliance. Security gap analysis and benchmarking offer a lens through which to systematically identify, assess and address regulatory compliance issues.
• Stronger security posture. While achieving and maintaining cybersecurity maturity is a never-ending process, a formal model should enable companies to enhance the quality and relevance of their security policies and threat responses. This increased efficacy ultimately leads to risk-informed decision-making, an increasingly mature security program and a stronger security posture.

Leading cybersecurity maturity model frameworks

Several frameworks stand out as leading choices for organizations today: the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls and the Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2). Each offers unique advantages based on regulatory context, operational complexity and sector-specific needs.

NIST CSF

Widely adopted across many business sectors, NIST CSF provides a flexible, risk-based approach to managing cybersecurity. Version 2.0, released in 2024, includes expanded guidance for governance and supply chain risk management. Its six core functions -- govern, identify, protect, detect, respond and recover -- are foundational to most maturity assessments.

CMMC 2.0

CMMC 2.0 is required for Department of Defense contractors and offers three certification levels. It builds on NIST Special Publication 800-171 controls and mandates third-party validation for higher levels. For organizations in the federal supply chain, CMMC is both a compliance tool and a maturity benchmark.

CIS Controls

CIS Controls offer prescriptive and prioritized best practices, mapped to threat patterns and implementation groups. The model consists of 18 control areas. It is beneficial for small and midsize organizations aiming to adopt high-impact, actionable security controls without overwhelming complexity. As of this writing, the latest version of CIS Controls is version 8.1.

C2M2

Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy for organizations in the electricity, oil and natural gas industries, C2M2 can work for organizations of all sizes, types and sectors. It covers 10 domains with four maturity indicator levels, providing a comprehensive examination of capability gaps, incident response readiness and resilience-building measures. As of this writing, the latest version of C2M2 is 2.1.

4 steps to assess your organization's cybersecurity maturity

Implementing a cybersecurity maturity model doesn't have to be daunting. The following steps provide CISOs a straightforward roadmap for meaningful cybersecurity assessment and action.

1. Select a framework

Select a model that aligns with your industry, regulatory requirements and organizational objectives. Use NIST CSF for general-purpose enterprise risk alignment. Using CMMC 2.0 might make sense if your organization handles controlled unclassified information, is part of the U.S. federal government or regularly interacts with the federal government in a controlled manner. Smaller companies could implement CIS Controls for tactical, control-focused improvements. Companies in the energy industry sector, especially those that operate critical infrastructure, will likely use C2M2.

2. Conduct a comprehensive self-assessment

Evaluate current capabilities across your organization's relevant domains. This includes technical controls, policies, incident response, governance and training. Engage cross-functional teams to gain a 360-degree view of the company's security posture.

Most of the mentioned frameworks have helpful guides for this, including the following:

• NIST's Cybersecurity Framework Profiles.
• CMMC's Department of Defense assessment guide.
• CIS Controls Self Assessment Tool.

3. Identify gaps and prioritize actions

Map your current capabilities to your enterprise's desired maturity level and identify gaps. Then, prioritize actions based on the following factors:

• A given risk's business impact.
• The urgency of the required compliance measure.
• The action's alignment with the business.
• Collective resource constraints, including time, money, equipment and staff.

It can be helpful to develop a maturity roadmap with near-term goals -- e.g., three to six months; mid-term goals -- e.g., six to 18 months; and long-term goals -- e.g., 18-plus months.

4. Implement improvements and monitor progress

In other words, return to step two. Apply any changes systematically -- whether deploying new controls, revising security policies or enhancing awareness and skills training. Continuously monitor progress with key performance indicators and maturity scorecards.

Again, this process is never complete and should occur continuously. At the very least, reassess maturity annually to adapt to new threats, technologies and business objectives.

Make security a strategic imperative

Cybersecurity maturity models are no longer theoretical frameworks; they are strategic instruments for proactive, business-aligned security leadership. In today's enterprise, assessing and advancing your organization's cybersecurity maturity is essential to staying competitive, compliant and secure.

By selecting the right model, conducting a rigorous assessment, and continuously and strategically making improvements, CISOs and security leaders can transform their security posture from reactive to resilient, maximizing enterprise readiness in an era of continuous digital risk.

Jerald Murphy is senior vice president of research and consulting with Nemertes Research. With more than three decades of technology experience, Murphy has worked on a range of technology topics, including neural networking research, integrated circuit design, computer programming and global data center design. He was also the CEO of a managed services company.