Before approving any investment in information security, it's important to have a structured technical conversation with those closest to your company's digital infrastructure: the IT team. Despite trust in internal work, many decisions end up being made based solely on operational reports or specific demands, which can compromise the effectiveness of the approved budget.
This content serves as an objective roadmap to align expectations, identify risks, and build a technical plan more aligned with the company's current needs—without wasting resources and with the support of specialized professionals when necessary.
What level of visibility does the IT team have over all digital assets?
Company asset mapping isn't always complete. Old servers, unmonitored workstations, endpoints without access control, or cloud environments managed by third parties can be left out of generic reports. Without this visibility, any budget will be based on assumptions.
If the IT team can't accurately list the main entry points, which systems store sensitive data, and how network traffic is segmented, a specialized external audit should be considered. STWBrasil offers this service with a technical focus, delivering a clear picture of the current infrastructure so that investments are based on reliable data.
Does the company have an up-to-date diagnosis of its technical vulnerabilities?
It's not uncommon for investments to be directed towards new tools while old vulnerabilities remain open. The problem usually lies in the cycle: there's an attempt to resolve symptoms without identifying the technical causes. Before approving a new solution package, it's important to understand the current state of security.
Ask the IT team when the last vulnerability analysis was performed and whether the report was interpreted based on recognized technical standards (such as ISO 27001 practices). If the answer is unclear or the data is outdated, the budget needs to include this step. STWBrasil performs complete scans, with monthly or quarterly updates, tailored to the criticality of the environment.
What can be prioritized with the available budget?
Even with a limited budget, decisions need to be guided by technical criteria. Often, simple authentication enhancements, blocking unnecessary access, or correctly configuring a firewall offer more protection than a new, highly complex solution.
At this time, it's helpful to have a CISO as a Service. This solution allows the company to have, for a specific period, an experienced professional evaluating technical priorities, assisting in the development of internal policies, and monitoring budget execution. This type of support prevents waste and keeps the internal team focused on operational tasks.
Are the security projects aligned with regulatory requirements?
Companies that handle third-party data — especially those in the financial, legal, healthcare, or retail sectors — are subject to specific regulations such as the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law). Many security initiatives are approved without considering this alignment, which can generate legal liabilities even with recent investments.
Ask your IT team for an assessment of your company's current compliance with key regulations impacting its sector. If this analysis doesn't already exist, it can be conducted with the support of STWBrasil's consulting services, which delivers technical and executive reports focused on compliance and operational security.
Are there technical records of previous occurrences?
Incidents such as system crashes, network instability, suspected intrusions, or even internal failures need to be documented. These records help to understand which areas require increased budget and which problems were merely isolated incidents.
If the team does not have this organized history or if there are doubts about the cause of past incidents, it is possible to activate STWBrasil's incident response and digital forensics service. This technical support helps not only in correcting the problem, but also in identifying patterns that indicate larger security flaws.
What is directly controlled by IT — and what depends on third parties?
Cloud computing, productivity tools, remote servers, integrations with external APIs: much of the modern digital infrastructure involves partners. Even so, responsibility for failures or data breaches can fall on the contracting company.
The security budget needs to consider this scenario. The IT team should indicate where the limits of internal action lie, which contracts need review, and which points require reinforcement, such as the use of solutions like Box Security, which guarantee traffic control even outside the company's local network.
When should external consultants be involved in the process?
The decision to consult specialists should not be seen as a sign of distrust in the internal team. On the contrary, this technical reinforcement helps to bring independent input so that the IT team has more clarity in prioritization and more confidence in execution.
STWBrasil acts as a partner in this process, offering services such as:
Security audit focused on ISO and LGPD compliance
CISO as a Service with strategic support
Vulnerability analysis and penetration testing
Digital forensics and incident response
Technical training for IT teams
All of these services are delivered by certified professionals, using their own methodologies and with experience in companies of all sizes.
Approving an information security budget is a decision that requires a solid technical foundation. This means going beyond simply presenting tools and including a detailed diagnosis of the environment, defining realistic priorities, and aligning with legal requirements. Discussions with the IT team should begin with these premises, and external consulting can provide a broader perspective to guide this process more precisely.
Do you need support to structure your budget with technical security? Contact the consultants at STWBrasil. We are ready to help you build a plan tailored to your company's reality, without wasting resources and focused on concrete results.
