What is the primary goal of the planning phase in the plan-protect-respond cycle?

In the plan-protect-respond cycle, the primary goal of the planning phase is to design effective security architecture. This phase involves developing a comprehensive strategy to protect assets and data, which includes identifying the necessary controls, policies, and procedures that need to be established to secure an organization’s information systems.

Designing effective security architecture entails assessing the organization's existing security posture, determining the security requirements based on the types of data handled, and ensuring that the architecture aligns with regulatory and compliance standards. This is crucial as it sets the foundation for both protective measures and response strategies when incidents occur. By establishing a robust security architecture in the planning phase, an organization can better protect against risks and have an effective response in place when needed.

Identifying potential threats, understanding data risks, and establishing a response team are all important activities that can occur after the planning phase is appropriately developed, but they are not the primary focus during this initial stage.