Security teams have been concealing a shameful truth from the public eye: despite their expertise in technology and cybersecurity, their tactics and plans for combating security risks are managed through spreadsheets.
The image of security teams working in dark rooms surrounded by multiple screens and falling lines of code is a far cry from reality. In truth, these teams rely heavily on Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets to handle their cybersecurity strategies. While these tools are great for financial management, they fall short when it comes to addressing actual security issues, tracking audits, managing patches, and mapping asset inventories.
The use of spreadsheets necessitates security operations to constantly reach out to various teams within their organization to gather information on exceptions, end-of-life machines, hardware, and operating systems. This manual process leads to a never-ending cycle of data entry and upkeep, resulting in a sea of red due dates within the spreadsheets.
Even top multinational enterprises with Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are not immune to this industry-wide issue. Despite the presence of dedicated Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) teams, many organizations still resort to using Excel spreadsheets for audit preparation, compliance tracking, and task delegation.
The fact that security teams heavily rely on spreadsheets has been a well-kept secret from those outside the cybersecurity realm. When reporting deadlines loom, team members scramble to consolidate data into presentable formats, often resorting to tools like Power BI, which are dependent on IT updates and limited to on-premises systems.
While there are alternative tools available, they are often costly and time-consuming to implement, leading security teams to default to Excel for its familiarity and ease of use. This may seem counterintuitive to outsiders, but for many security professionals, starting an Excel sheet and manually extracting data from security tools is still the fastest and most effective method.
To address this reliance on manual Excel work, there are several methods that security teams can adopt to streamline their operations. Specialized tools for compliance frameworks, audit findings, vulnerability management, and data lake automation can automate and optimize many labor-intensive tasks, providing a significant return on investment.
When considering purchasing solutions to replace Excel spreadsheets, organizations must prioritize adaptability and comprehensiveness. The chosen solution should align with the organization’s specific security needs, streamline remediation processes, and free up time for security professionals to focus on critical issues rather than administrative tasks.
The cybersecurity landscape is rapidly evolving, and the risks associated with relying on outdated tools like Excel spreadsheets are too great to ignore. It is time for the industry to come together, adopt modern solutions, and leave the era of spreadsheets behind in favor of more efficient and effective cybersecurity practices.