Cybersecurity Capabilities Model

Financial institutions now face attackers using the same AI tools their own security teams are adopting, against a regulatory backdrop that keeps raising the bar — NYDFS's amended cybersecurity rule, SEC disclosure requirements, and DORA for firms with EU exposure all demand a level of programmatic rigor that ad hoc security spending doesn't produce.

Every one of those pressures eventually lands on the same underlying business, which is exactly where a shared vocabulary earns its keep. The Cybersecurity Capabilities Model is a structured, three-level decomposition of 230 capabilities that survives reorganizations, vendor changes, and years of incremental modernization work.

Delivered as editable PowerPoint, Excel, and Word files — ready to customize for your organization.

What's Inside

• Capabilities matrix (Excel) — structured grouping of all capabilities
• Capabilities map (PowerPoint) — nested visualization of the top three levels
• Capabilities list (Word) — multilevel list format for easy editing
• Capability definitions — detailed descriptions at Level 3
• Capability KPIs — key performance indicators at Level 2

Coverage Areas

The model spans the full cybersecurity function — core cyber and information security capabilities — decomposed into granular, MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive) building blocks.

How Teams Use It

• Benchmark & gap analysis — assess current-state maturity and identify capability gaps
• Capability-based roadmapping — plan investments around capability evolution, not siloed projects
• Application portfolio rationalization — map capabilities to systems for footprint analysis and consolidation decisions
• Business-IT alignment — use capabilities as a shared language between business and technology teams

Who It's For

Business architects, security architects, enterprise architects, cybersecurity leaders, and program managers.

Why Buy vs. Build

Building a capability model from scratch takes hundreds of hours of brainstorming across architects, domain experts, and leadership. This model provides 60–80% of the work done at a fraction of the cost. Use it to jump-start your effort — or to cross-reference and fill gaps in an existing map.

This is a generic model designed as a starting point — customization to your organization's specific context is expected and encouraged.

Terms

Digital product — no returns or refunds. Sold as-is, no warranties. Consultancy license required for multi-client use. Does not include implementation support. See our terms of service.