Winning At Attack Surface Management: A Buyer's Guide for Frustrated CISOs
"Winning at Attack Surface Management: A Buyer's Guide for Frustrated CISOs" is a 2024 Ordr guide making the case for asset intelligence as the missing layer above traditional security tools. It focuses on three core gaps — security coverage, vulnerability management, and incident response — and why existing tools like EDR, MDM, and vulnerability scanners can't address them alone.
What you'll learn
- 42% of enterprise assets can't install a security agent. IoT, OT, and specialized devices are invisible to EDR and MDM tools, leaving a massive blind spot that most organizations don't realize exists.
- CVE scores alone aren't enough. With 29,000+ new vulnerabilities recorded in 2023, effective risk management requires context — device function, data sensitivity, and business impact — not just severity ratings.
- Incident response is slowed by asset data gaps. Correlating affected assets during an incident can take 24+ hours when data is fragmented across tools; unified asset intelligence cuts that time dramatically.
- Asset intelligence is the connective tissue. It consolidates fragmented data from existing tools, adds context for agentless devices, and enables real-time action — patching, quarantine, or segmentation.
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Winning At Attack Surface Management: A Buyer's Guide for Frustrated CISOs
- Why can't I just use my existing EDR and vulnerability scanner?
- These tools only see what they can enroll or scan — they miss agentless devices entirely and can't tell you whether an agent is working or absent. Asset intelligence fills those gaps.
- What does "asset intelligence" actually mean in practice?
- It's a consolidated, always-current view of every device on your network — including type, owner, location, software, vulnerabilities, and communications — that feeds directly into remediation workflows and policy enforcement.
- How does this help with compliance?
- Full asset visibility is the foundation of most major frameworks (ISO 27001, HIPAA, etc.). Asset intelligence makes it easier to maintain accurate inventories and demonstrate coverage across IT, OT, and IoT.
- Where should I start?
- Three steps: build primary asset discovery that goes beyond existing tools, ensure precise device classification (not just IP/MAC), and add business context so you can prioritize what matters most.
This resource is published by ORDR, the connected asset security company. ORDR delivers AI-powered visibility, risk assessment, and automated protection for IoT, OT, and IoMT devices across healthcare, manufacturing, government, and financial environments. Browse all resources →