We all understand that exercise is beneficial for our health. However, recent research suggests a fascinating distinction: not all exercise is created equal. This research indicates that high-intensity exercise—like a vigorous game of squash or a short sprint—can be two to ten times more beneficial for your health than low-intensity exercise, such as walking.
This means that to achieve the same health benefits as a 10-minute high-intensity workout, you might need to walk for 60 minutes or more.
While all physical activity is good, the efficiency and impact of that activity vary enormously. It also means that those incidental bursts of high-intensity effort, like running for a train or taking the stairs quickly, are doing far more for your health than you might realise.
This principle of efficiency and impact does not just apply to our health; it offers a powerful lesson for our approach to cyber security.
The “Low-Intensity” Approach to Cyber Security
In cyber security, a low-intensity approach can be compared to the long, slow walk. It feels like you are doing something, but the protective benefit is minimal relative to the time invested.
This might involve purchasing the cheapest available security products, using default configurations without expert review, or deploying multiple, disjointed tools that do not communicate with each other. Whilst these steps are not inherently bad, they are often highly inefficient.
The problem is that these “cheaper” solutions often demand significantly more of your internal team’s time to manage, update, and manually investigate alerts. You may find your team is spending multiples more time to achieve a basic level of security, or worse, may never reach an adequate level of protection at all.
The “High-Intensity” Strategy: Maximising Protective Impact
A high-intensity cyber security strategy, much like that game of squash, is about strategic, focused, and expert-driven effort. It prioritises effectiveness and impact over sheer volume of activity.
This approach could involve:
- Engaging expert services for a thorough risk assessment.
- Implementing a high-quality, integrated security platform.
- Conducting periodic penetration testing to identify critical vulnerabilities.
Like a 10-minute high-intensity workout, a single, strategic security engagement can deliver a protective outcome that is multiples greater than months of low-level, disjointed effort. It quickly identifies and helps you rectify the most significant risks, rapidly improving your defensive posture.
Even those “incidental” expert actions—like a specialist reconfiguring a firewall rule or tuning an alert—can have a disproportionately large positive impact, much like that sprint for the bus.
Not All Security Products and Partners Are Equal
This brings us to a critical point: not all cyber security companies and products are equal.
A solution that appears cheaper at the outset can quickly become far more expensive when you factor in the vast amount of your own time required to manage it. You are, in effect, committing to a 60-minute walk, and you may never achieve the same protective outcome as a 10-minute, expert-led engagement.
In cyber security, as in health, the goal is not just to be busy; it is to be effective.
Understanding the difference between low-intensity activity and high-impact strategy is key to building a resilient defence. If you are looking to enhance your security posture with an efficient, expert-led strategy, consider contacting the team at Vertex. We can help you optimise your defences for the best possible outcome.