IDC PlanScape: Vulnerability Management
This IDC PlanScape provides a step-by-step guide for building, enhancing, and running a vulnerability management capability. While setting up a vulnerability scanner and running scans on the most obvious company systems is relatively easy, doing so to ensure full coverage of the entire IT landscape - and following up to resolve identified vulnerabilities and their root causes - is more difficult, requiring extensive cooperation between business and IT. On top of the complexity of resolving and managing vulnerabilities, a vulnerability management capability needs leadership buy-in for business and IT to provide the right priority and resolve the vulnerabilities (along with other competing priorities)."The vulnerability management process is critical in identifying and resolving potential vulnerabilities," says Nick Kirtley, adjunct research advisor for IDC's IT Executive Programs (IEP). "The security team, business, and IT must work together to reduce vulnerabilities and manage vulnerability-related risk. This shuts the door to attackers trying to do harm to your business."
Please Note: Extended description available upon request.
- IDC PlanScape Figure
- Executive Summary
- Why Is Vulnerability Management Important?
- Identification of Vulnerabilities
- Remediating and Managing Vulnerabilities
- Vulnerability Management Highlights the Overall Health of the IT Landscape
- What Is Vulnerability Management?
- Vulnerability Scanning
- Other Methods and Tooling to Identify Vulnerabilities
- Managing, Mitigating, and Remediating Vulnerabilities
- Vulnerability Severity and Risk
- Who Are the Key Stakeholders?
- How Can My Organization Take Advantage of Vulnerability Management?
- Begin with a Foundational Vulnerability Management Capability
- Improve Your Understanding of the IT Landscape
- Periodically Monitor Scanning Results
- Speak the Language of IT Teams and Business Departments
- Improve Cooperation with Other Security Teams and Capabilities
- Improve Cooperation with Third-Party IT Service Providers Where Relevant
- Reduce Vulnerabilities at Scale Where Possible
- Improve Reporting
- Improve Vulnerability Remediation Prioritization with Severity Data and Contextual Review
- Define Vulnerability Remediation Service-Level Agreements
- Improve Vulnerability Detection Methods and Tooling
- Increase Scanning Frequency
- Advice for Technology Buyers
- Initial Activities for Technology and Security Leaders
- Advanced Activities for Technology and Security Leaders
- Related Research
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