That cybersecurity budget request about to land on the CFO’s desk is full of acronyms and tool names, and the number probably went up again. This episode gives you five questions that turn it into a business decision you can defend from either side of the table.
Who it’s for: CFOs and finance leaders who approve the budget, and the IT lead, security lead, MSP or vCISO who submits it.
The five questions
- What would hurt most if it stopped working or leaked?
- What do we own, and is it working for us?
- What is required from outside, and what is a business call?
- What becomes more likely if we cut this?
- Who is accountable for the outcome?
Free worksheet: Download the one-page worksheet and a completed sample.
Watch the video: The Rook, Episode 6 on YouTube
00:00 The budget request about to land
02:03 Five questions and a one-page worksheet
03:01 1. What would hurt most
06:08 2. What do we own, and is it working
07:50 3. Required from outside vs a business call
10:10 4. What becomes more likely if we cut this
12:07 5. Who is accountable
13:47 The decision that fits on one page
15:13 Your move
The Rook · Corvus Cybersecurity · corvus-cyber.com · David Shaw, CISSP, GLEG
Sources:
- Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
- Sophos, The State of Ransomware 2026: https://sophos.com/ransomware2026
- IANS and Artico Search, 2026 Security Budget Benchmark: https://www.ians.com/blog/security-budgets-stall-as-ai-reshapes-2027-spending