Business Speed + Threat Complexity = Reactive Threat Management
Network connections, apps, websites, social media, mobile, email and more – security threats come in from every direction. Adopting IoT, virtual environments and cloud applications are probably stretching your security program because it wasn’t built to align with your business operations. And then third-party open-source components add even more complexity, and “who does what?” in IT complicates the task of tracking issues.
Threat Management Challenges
Threat Detection
It’s nearly impossible to detect and manage things across this ever-changing environment.
Threat Identification
You can’t fix what you can’t find, and hackers are getting better at hiding every day.
Right-Sizing Your Tool Stack
Buying more tools as a reaction to threats can make integration and remediation more difficult.
It’s a growing problem, and it doesn’t help bridge security and IT operations, reduce risk, or communicate ROI to the board.
What is Threat Management?
Definition
Threat management is a framework and related set of practices that enable organizations to continuously identify, assess, classify and respond to threats and related vulnerabilities, using proven remediation and mitigation techniques, to reduce dwell time and minimize cyber risks faster and with more accuracy.
Threat Management Approach
It’s about identifying your organization’s attack surface, leveraging your existing security controls to maximize the value of your current investments, knowing where security gaps exist, and understanding which applications, assets, services, and information technology (IT) environments are most appealing to threat actors.
Best Practices
Having a well-planned, fully-staffed, threat and vulnerability management capability allows you to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and malicious activity faster, respond more rapidly to security incidents, reduce threat actor dwell time, remediate issues and more naturally.
Your Current Threat Management Approach Could Leave You Vulnerable
Here’s why your organization may not be aware of its complete risk picture from threats and vulnerabilities.
Infrastructure Complexity
Growing attack surfaces, new policies and technologies, and not knowing roles and responsibilities can reduce your visibility to threats and increase the risk of a breach.
Compliance-Driven Approach
Your organization may be reactive to threats, opting for a tactical or compliance-driven approach, which can increase the frequency of attacks and recovery time.
Lack of Readiness
The ability to quickly detect and respond to an incident dramatically affects how much damage can be done to your data, environment, reputation and financial well-being.
Why You Need a Better Threat Management Solution
Effective threat management is about knowing what your attack surface is comprised of, understanding where security gaps exist and what assets are most appealing to threat actors, and honing the ability to detect – while ensuring a quick and effective response.
As your organization evolves, new technologies and policies must be integrated strategically, not just deployed tactically (and perhaps even haphazardly) and compliance should be the result of the plan, not its entire purpose.
With Optiv’s holistic threat management approach, you can:
Discover strengths and weaknesses
Identify vulnerabilities and malicious activity faster than standard detection methods
Respond rapidly and reduce threat actor dwell time
Remediate issues and naturally build security
Optiv Threat Management Services
Related Insights
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Attackers love unknown weaknesses in your software, hardware and end-user environments. In this infographic, learn the steps you can take to actively defend your assets, ensure your current controls are working and cover your cybersecurity bases.



Our Threat Experts Have Been Here Before
We deliver a security-first perspective with a holistic approach to infrastructure and programs.
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Lines of code reviewed
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Vulnerabilities identified
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Hours pen testing
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Hours application testing
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Hours of incident management
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Of vulnerabilities Optiv identifies are not identified by automated tools
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Consultants with 110+ certifications and 1500+ years combined threat experience
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Of Fortune 500 companies use Optiv threat management services
A dedicated team comprised of only 4% of top applicants exclusively performing attack and penetration services.
Leverage market-leading attack and penetration R&D that identifies and exposes the newest attack vectors.
Manual testing and verification methods that supplement automated scanning to ensure a comprehensive assessment of your entire security program.
Speak to a Threat Management Expert
Reach out to an Optiv professional with your specific threat management questions.