Filling the Missing Rungs: Why Mid-Sized Businesses Lack a True Security Ladder
An exploration of why mid-sized companies find themselves stuck between basic IT hygiene and complex compliance frameworks.
Hello Cyber Builders 🖖.
Security is probably an impossible climb if you’re running a mid-sized business. On one side, you’re told to handle “IT basics”—patch your systems, install antivirus, and back up your data. Conversely, compliance frameworks like ISO 27001 and NIS2 throw hundreds of requirements your way.
The problem? There’s nothing in between.
We’re wrapping up our series on the challenges and solutions for mid-sized companies trying to build sustainable security. If you missed earlier posts, all the links are at the end—a big shoutout to Fabien from Sekoia.io for sharing insights and helping us shape this series.
In the previous post, I discussed issues for Cyber Builders, cybersecurity companies (vendors, MSSPs), and others. Today, I want to address the mid-sized company team.
In this last post, I want to provide you with an image and a concept - the Security Ladder - and call for all readers for feedback and comments.
In this post, I am addressing directly to mid-sized companies IT managers and CEO. I want to have a conversation with you on this topic in 2025.
Contact me at https://cygo-entrepreneurs.com/contact/
Every day, more stakeholders—partners, customers, insurers, and regulators—demand proof that you’re secure. It’s not optional anymore. Opportunities slip away if you can’t show you’re on top of security. But unlike large enterprises, you don’t have deep security teams, unlimited budgets, or time to spare.
And here’s the truth no one talks about: Most security advice isn’t designed for you.
Vendors push tools that are too complex. Consultants drop compliance jargon and leave you with more questions than answers. None of this helps you figure out the following:
Where do I start?
What do I prioritize?
How do I make progress without burning out my team and budget?
I created the Security Ladder concept—a simple, step-by-step approach to helping mid-sized businesses like yours build sustainable security. You don’t need to climb to the top overnight; you must take one step at a time.
The Security Ladder is Broken for Mid-Sized Businesses
Imagine standing at the base of a ladder, ready to climb. You look up—and realize half the rungs are missing. The top feels impossibly far, and every step looks like a leap. That’s precisely what security feels like for mid-sized companies.
You have the IT basics on the ground floor: firewalls, backups, and antivirus. These are easy to install, familiar to your team, and good enough to stop small-scale threats.
Compliance frameworks like ISO 27001 or NIS2 are the most rigid, detailed, and complex, requiring hundreds of controls.
But in the middle?
There’s nothing.
No clear path. No guidance. No step-by-step framework that matches your team’s capacity, budget, or reality. It’s either “basic hygiene” or “do everything perfectly.”
This missing middle leaves mid-sized businesses stuck. You’re too big to ignore growing security demands, but you don’t have the resources to approach security like an enterprise.
Security Pressure Is Growing—and It’s Not Going Away
The pressure to improve security is only increasing.
Your partners demand it.
If you’re working with larger organizations—think supply chains for tech, critical infrastructure, or manufacturing—they’re demanding proof that you’re secure. Their security is only as strong as their weakest link, and they won’t let you be that link.Regulators are watching.
Industries like healthcare, energy, finance, and even small manufacturing are falling under stricter regulations. Take NIS2 in Europe: it sets mandatory security standards for “essential and important entities”—many of which are mid-sized businesses like yours. Non-compliance? It comes with fines and consequences.Cyber insurers are raising the bar.
Want cyber insurance? Good luck if you don’t meet baseline requirements. Premiums are skyrocketing, and coverage gets denied unless you can show you’ve done your part to reduce risk.Customers care about security now.
Your customers want to know their data is safe with you. A breach doesn’t just cost you money—it costs trust.
You know you need to improve. You want to meet stakeholder demands, reduce risk, and build customer confidence.
But jumping from basic IT hygiene to compliance frameworks is like trying to clear a canyon in one leap. That’s the broken ladder mid-sized businesses face.
It would help if you had a realistic, step—by—step path to achieving security without falling and compromising your security.
Why the Security Ladder Doesn’t Work for Mid-Sized Companies
The current security system wasn’t built with you - IT Manager and Business Owner of Mid-Sized Companies - in mind.
You live in a no-man’s land—too big to ignore security and too small to tackle it like the giants. The system assumes you have:
Deep pockets to fund advanced tools and consultants,
Specialized teams to focus exclusively on security,
The time and knowledge to decode massive compliance frameworks.
But you don’t.
Instead, you’re left with two extremes:
1. The Ground Floor: IT Basics
At the bottom, you’ve got the “checklist solutions” everyone knows:
Patch your systems.
Back up your data.
Install antivirus and firewalls.
It’s essential, and it’s better than nothing. But it doesn’t cut it anymore. Cybercriminals know it, too. Phishing attacks, ransomware, and credential breaches slip right past these defenses.
And when your customers or partners ask for proof of your security, saying, “We have antivirus,” doesn’t inspire much confidence.
2. The Top Floor: Compliance Frameworks
On the other hand, you’ve got frameworks like ISO 27001, NIS2, and NIST. These standards are gold-tier—they’re comprehensive, well-respected, and effective. But:
They demand hundreds of requirements across your processes, teams, and tools.
They require resources, time, and expertise.
I am already hearing some of my best cybersecurity friends saying that some practical approach exists… Having talked to the IT manager or CEO, I see that they are still overwhelmed by these.
Caught in the Middle
Here’s the problem: there’s no middle ground.
If you’re a mid-sized company, this is your reality:
You’ve outgrown basic IT hygiene, and you know it’s not enough.
You probably have set up firewalls and a managed EDR offering with your local MSSP.
You can’t realistically implement every compliance control overnight.
No one tells you where to focus your limited time, budget, and team. Anyway, you probably don’t have one dedicated security staff member. Your IT team is already focusing on improving tools to support your business.
The Security Ladder is broken, and the longer you wait to climb it, the greater the risk and the pressure.
Acknowledging the Broken Ladder Is the First Step
The security ladder is not only broken but also incomplete. Entire rungs are missing, leaving mid-sized businesses without a clear way to climb.
Cybersecurity is no longer optional. It’s a requirement for your partners, your customers, and your survival.
But the current system isn’t built for you - mid-sized companies. The gap between basic IT hygiene and compliance frameworks is too wide to leap. And until the industry steps up to build a better ladder—one that’s practical, achievable, and tailored to growing businesses—you’ll remain stuck between pressure and progress.
Acknowledging the problem is how we start to fix it.
By recognizing the broken ladder, we can finally challenge the system. Mid-sized businesses don’t need more pressure. They need guidance, realistic steps, and tools that help them climb—one rung at a time.
Because sustainable security isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress.
Laurent 💚
