This is the 1 Thing Every Security Team Needs Before 2022

It’s the end of the year. You have some leftover budget. And every security vendor is trying to sell you on spending with them.

Here’s my unapologetically biased take: You should spend it on intelligence data.

At Recorded Future, we believe intelligence—threat-oriented data—empowers defenders. And more than anything else, you need threat data ahead of next year. 

Here’s three big reasons why.

1. #### No one says, “I wish I hadn’t bought intelligence.”

Intelligence about threats—from rogue nations to ransomware actors—informs every aspect of your security program. From immediate knowledge of exploited vulnerabilities to confidence and validation around your supply chain, intelligence informs a broad set of security priorities. 

Intelligence can provide immediate value to your enterprise, both as a flashlight—to illuminate threat actors on dark web and beyond—and as a mirror—reflecting malicious credentials, domains, and owned assets.

2. #### Appliances take time to implement—threat intelligence value can be immediate.

Data is—almost—immediately useful. New clients continually tell us of wins they’ve had with our intelligence, like discovered leaked credentials, newly registered look-alike domains, and real-time alerts on exploited vulnerabilities. 

Most security appliances and tools take months to implement. That’s not to say you don’t need them, but they need proper implementation and integration. Data has immediate value, but can be distributed and aid automation with time. 

3. #### Intelligence informs your 2022 security decisions.

Threat actors get a vote. Many security teams found themselves pivoting rapidly over the past couple of years, first from pandemic-related quarantines and stay-at-home orders then from the flood of ransomware actors. What will you need next year?

Want to implement SOAR? You need intelligence to drive the automation decisions. 

Zero Trust? Intelligence to help prioritize threats. 

Intelligence can inform your buying decisions, helping your teams work more efficiently while also moving fast. Our clients use our modular Intelligence Solutions to tackle a variety of problems.