NCC’s Operational Impact Assessment Helps Organizations Prepare for Systemwide Disruptions

Colorado Springs, CO–The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC), a nonprofit offering a range of cybersecurity resources, is putting new momentum behind one of its key programs: the Operational Impact Assessment. As organizations face increasingly complex cyber risks and digital dependencies, NCC is urging leaders to begin their cybersecurity journey by understanding what’s truly at stake if their business’ systems fail. 

Developed to help organizations pinpoint their most critical systems and dependencies, the Operational Impact Assessment is designed for a wide variety of industries, ranging from school districts, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors. 

To date, the Operational Impact Assessment has helped dozens of organizations across Colorado and the U.S., serving sectors that support over 1.4 million residents and revealing more than 500 critical cyber assets. 

Before you can protect what matters, you have to know what matters,” said Greg Oslan, CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center. “The assessment gives organizations a foundational map of where operational failure could occur, so they can invest in cybersecurity more strategically and prepare more effectively.” 

The assessment was created to address a widespread gap in cybersecurity planning: many organizations invest in advanced testing and tools before understanding which systems are truly mission critical.  

Through guided sessions with department leaders and IT/security teams, the Operational Impact Assessment produces a detailed inventory of essential assets, dependency maps, and tabletop exercises. These deliverables help teams build disaster recovery and incident response plans. 

“Many organizations think of cybersecurity only in terms of stopping hackers, but the real risk goes deeper,” said Ben Bannister, Cybersecurity Analyst & Technical Writer at NCC. “Most aren’t prepared for accidental outages, and that’s where the assessment helps. It shows you where your blind spots are before something disrupts your operations.” 

The NCC encourages any organization unsure where to begin with cybersecurity, or struggling to prioritize their efforts, to start with the Operational Impact Assessment. It provides operational clarity and helps reduce costs down the road by focusing follow-up efforts, like penetration testing, on the systems that matter most.  

To learn more about the Operational Impact Assessment or request a quote, visit cyber-center.org/operational-impact-assessment. 

 

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About the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) 

The National Cybersecurity Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and solutions to individuals and organizations with the goal of enabling a cyber-resilient society.