Check your security status: Which assessment suits your company's situation?

Targeted cyberattacks, growing risks in the supply chain, the increasing use of artificial intelligence, and increasingly professional attacker groups – the threat situation for companies is constantly worsening. At the same time, many managers are faced with a key question: Which of these risks are really relevant for my company?

The answer is rarely trivial. Cybersecurity is no longer a purely technical issue, but a business-critical factor that affects strategy, organization, and technology in equal measure.

Regulatory pressure meets operational reality

Parallel to the increasing threat situation, regulatory requirements are also growing. Guidelines and regulations such as NIS2, CRA, DORA, and TIBER oblige many companies to systematically identify, assess, and document risks and to derive appropriate protective measures.

For affected organizations in particular, the question arises:

How can they successfully implement a structured risk assessment that both meets regulatory requirements and delivers real added value for their own security strategy?

An uncoordinated catalog of measures or selective security projects are not enough. What is needed is a methodical approach – with a clear focus on the individual risks of the company.

Risk analysis as the foundation of every security strategy

As diverse as the available methods and frameworks may be, one thing remains constant:

Risk analysis is the foundation of an effective cybersecurity strategy.

A systematic, traceable, and documented assessment of company-specific risks creates the basis for:

• Realistically assessing threats
• Prioritizing business-relevant risks
• Plan security measures in a targeted manner
• Use budgets and investments efficiently

Without this foundation, cybersecurity often remains reactive, fragmented, and inefficient.​

Special challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular face specific challenges:

• Proximity to KRITIS and regulatory uncertainty
  Many companies are directly or indirectly affected by KRITIS or NIS2 requirements – often without clear boundaries.
• IT and OT security
  Production environments, industrial control systems, and classic IT are converging – creating new areas of vulnerability.
• Historically grown infrastructures
  Security gaps often arise due to legacy systems and a lack of transparency.
• Skills shortage
  Limited human resources make continuous risk analysis and security operations difficult.

This is precisely where structured risk analysis helps to focus on the essentials – instead of getting lost in details or individual measures.

Understanding, prioritizing, and continuously managing risks

Systematic risk analyses make it possible to identify top business risks and place them in a business context. This is not about theoretical threat scenarios, but rather concrete questions such as:

• Which attacks would have the greatest impact on our business processes?
• Where is the probability of occurrence particularly high?
• Which measures measurably reduce risks?

This logic follows a well-known principle:

Risk = probability of occurrence × potential damage

It is not without reason that cyber insurance companies also use this model. Insurers are increasingly requiring a structured risk assessment before offering or renewing policies. Those who know their risks and review them regularly not only strengthen their own security situation, but also their negotiating position with insurers.

Conclusion: No effective cybersecurity without risk analysis

Whether it's increasing threats or regulatory requirements, companies need to understand their individual risk situation in order to remain capable of acting. A structured risk analysis creates transparency, priorities, and a basis for decision-making. It is not a one-time project, but a central component of sustainable cybersecurity.

Which assessment is right for your company?

What types of risk analysis are there?

Which methods have proven themselves in small and medium-sized businesses?

And how can risks be recorded, evaluated, and documented in a structured way – without unnecessary complexity?

Our webinar provides answers.

In our webinar “Check Your Security Status,” you will receive a practical overview of different cybersecurity assessments. We share proven approaches from SMEs, for SMEs – and show you how you can develop your security strategy efficiently and purposefully.