What is the goal of the protect stage in the plan-protect-respond cycle?

In the plan-protect-respond cycle, the protect stage focuses on implementing measures to secure systems, data, and assets to ensure that critical services remain operational and resilient against threats. The primary goal is to establish safeguards that maintain the availability and integrity of these services, thereby preventing disruptions that could arise from various risks, such as cyber incidents or natural disasters.

By prioritizing the uninterrupted delivery of vital services, organizations can effectively protect themselves from interruptions that might affect their ability to function. This might include deploying firewalls, access controls, and encryption, as well as establishing redundant systems and disaster recovery plans. These actions are crucial for ensuring that services remain available to users and customers, which is a core concern in any cybersecurity strategy.

While enhancing employee training and increasing system performance are important aspects of overall cybersecurity and IT operations, they are not the primary objective of the protect stage within this specific cycle. Similarly, limiting the impact of a security breach pertains more closely to the respond phase, which deals with how an organization reacts to incidents once they occur. Thus, the correct response aligns closely with ensuring that essential services continue without interruption as a direct outcome of effective protective measures.