The Missing Piece in Essential Eight: Executive Support and Timely Resourcing
Part 2 in a series
Cyber Security - The Importance of Executive Support for the Essential Eight
For many Australian government agencies and critical infrastructure providers, the Essential Eight represents a practical, locally grounded framework for strengthening cyber resilience. But while technical teams work diligently to align controls with maturity targets, one vital element is often overlooked: executive support.
The strategies themselves are well documented, yet their successful implementation and sustainability hinge not just on IT, but on the decisions and priorities set at the executive level. Cyber security is no longer a siloed technical function, it is a core business risk that demands timely leadership, informed investment, and whole-of-organisation buy-in.
Cyber Security Is a Business Issue, Not Just an IT One
Many cyber incidents stem from process failures, cultural gaps or poor governance, not simply from technical vulnerabilities. Ransomware, phishing, and data breaches impact much more than servers: they compromise trust, disrupt service delivery and can erode public confidence.
When cyber is framed solely as an IT responsibility, risk management efforts often lack traction. But when positioned as a strategic issue; part of governance, continuity, and procurement; senior leaders are more inclined to engage, budget, and act.
Leadership Enables, or Blocks, Progress on the Ground
On paper, the Essential Eight is a clear and actionable framework. In practice, however, its success depends on executive-level decisions: policy enforcement, project prioritisation, staffing, and ongoing investment.
Without visible and vocal leadership support, security teams may struggle to:
- Enforce minimum security baselines across business units
- Prioritise patching cycles or critical asset renewals
- Roll out MFA across departments
- Defend necessary hardening measures when they create temporary friction
Executive buy-in doesn’t just clear obstacles, it sets expectations and gives cyber professionals the mandate to do what’s needed.
Timeliness Matters: Sustainment is as Important as Implementation
Reaching a maturity target is only half the challenge. Maintaining it, particularly in the face of evolving threats and shifting operational demands, is where most agencies fall short.
The ACSC’s maturity model reflects this reality. Delays in decision-making around personnel, tooling, or systems upgrades can lead to a rapid decline in effectiveness. In this environment, deferred support can be just as risky as inaction.
Resourcing Isn’t Just Budget: It’s People, Tools and Time
Cyber security resourcing goes far beyond procurement cycles and budget lines. It includes:
- Making time available for uplift activities and ongoing testing
- Hiring and retaining staff who can bridge security and operational needs
- Providing fit-for-purpose tools to monitor, detect and respond to threats
- Backing regular training and awareness to embed secure behaviours
Without a well-rounded investment of time, people and capability, technical strategies can become hollow.
Compliance vs Assurance: Knowing vs Proving
A key misconception persists; that implementation equals protection. But a control that’s documented isn’t necessarily one that’s working, effective, or enduring.
Executive leaders should be asking:
- Has our MFA rollout translated into reduced risk?
- Are our backups recoverable and how do we know?
- Are admin rights still appropriately restricted months after the last audit?
True assurance requires ongoing validation, not assumptions. It demands structured reporting, governance visibility, and a willingness to interrogate outcomes, not just checkboxes.
Cyber Culture Starts at the Top
Executives define culture by what they ask about, support, and reinforce. When leaders treat cyber as a core part of governance and accountability, not as a niche or compliance topic, cultural norms begin to shift.
Simple, visible actions matter:
- Referencing cyber risks in planning discussions
- Participating in awareness sessions alongside staff
- Backing security-aligned decisions, even when inconvenient
Ultimately, a cyber-aware culture delivers more than policies ever will; it drives meaningful, sustained resilience.
Maturity Requires Ongoing Effort and Support
Essential Eight maturity isn’t a one-time exercise. Controls require continual adjustment as environments evolve. Agencies must plan for the long term; seeing cyber uplift not as a project, but as a continuous function tied to operational performance, national security and public trust.
With the ACSC increasingly tying maturity levels to supply chain assurance and critical infrastructure resilience, relying on static or outdated assessments is no longer tenable.
Final Thought
If your organisation is struggling to gain momentum with the Essential Eight, the barrier may not be technical. It may be leadership alignment.
By prioritising timely decisions, enabling meaningful resourcing, and shaping a supportive culture, executive teams can unlock real progress transforming the Essential Eight from a compliance obligation into a strategic asset.
For organisations seeking assurance, not just implementation, platforms like Introspectus, built specifically for assessing and tracking Essential Eight maturity against ACSC guidance, offer an efficient, transparent way to close the loop between IT action and executive oversight
Cyber risk is not going away. But with the right support from the top, the path to sustained maturity becomes much clearer.