The invisible attack surface: Why traditional cybersecurity falls short
You can't protect what you can't see. And the harsh truth is that most companies only see a fraction of what's happening on their network. In the age of the modern workplace—laptops, smartphones, remote workstations, modern work tools, cloud services, IoT sensors, smart devices—every new device, every service, every API call increases the digital attack surface. And that's exactly where the problem lies: the speed at which companies are adopting digital technologies has long since outpaced the speed at which we are securing them. With our new partnership with Armis—the leading provider of asset visibility and security headquartered in the US—we are addressing precisely that issue.
The blind spot of IT security
Given this speed and complexity, traditional cybersecurity architecture—as well as IT teams and all company employees—are reaching their limits:
- Agent-based tools only work where they can be installed—and not every device or setting allows or enables installation.
- BYOD, remote work, and IoT have created millions of uncontrolled endpoints.
- Cloud-first strategies further fragment security landscapes.
- Many separate solutions—which offer partial insight on their own, but do not provide a fully integrated overview of everything.
Many companies believe they have everything under control—until something happens.
The figures are alarmingly clear:
- Over 70% of companies do not have a complete overview of their assets.
- Ransomware attacks and supply chain attacks are increasing year after year.
- Zero-day exploits first hit devices that often no one knows exist.
- Many separate solutions—which offer partial insight on their own, but do not provide a fully integrated overview of everything.
Overview is not nice to have; visibility is the basis of security.
What companies need now
The challenges are there—but so are the solutions. Modern cybersecurity today means one thing above all else: making complexity manageable. Specifically, there are six things to consider when it comes to technological security:
EBF IT Security Compass
From our consulting work, we know that technological measures are always particularly effective when there is a concrete security strategy in place and security is made a top priority. Responsibilities, structures, and processes are needed that can be flexibly adapted to new threats—because sustainable security is not a one-time project. And it is a project in which ALL employees should be involved: because they are the targets of cyberattacks and therefore need to be sensitized and trained.
You can find out more about all three components of cybersecurity in our comprehensive EBF Security Compass:
Proactive security is the only way forward.
The aim is to design IT architecture for maximum flexibility and innovation while ensuring maximum security: freedom without compromising on security. With an overview without fragmented individual solutions. Suitable for everyday use.
Comprehensive protection with Armis
Armis has set itself the goal of making the IT world more secure by providing comprehensive transparency, information, and security for all networked assets in every environment. The company focuses on protecting the entire attack surface of companies and keeps an eye on cyber risks. We are therefore particularly pleased about our new partnership with Armis. This enables us to offer companies an important building block for their security strategy – which is particularly valuable for industries with high security requirements or ISO certification.
Armis relies on an innovative, agentless, and AI-supported approach:
- Cloud-based, seamless platform: Armis Centrix™ is modular, scalable, and integrates with existing security ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft Intune, SIEM, SOAR, EDR, ITSM, CMDB). This allows you to map all existing solutions in one tool—without changing or replacing anything.
- Agentless & passive: No software installations required; Armis monitors network traffic (e.g., via SPAN port) and analyzes metadata only – without disrupting devices.
- AI-driven asset intelligence: Uses a global device index (covering billions of assets), compares behavior patterns, prioritizes vulnerabilities, and orchestrates automated responses.
- Modular solutions: Special variants such as OT/IoT security, medical device security, vulnerability prioritization (VIPR Pro), and early warning systems enable industry-specific applications.
- Fast ROI: Visibility and initial results are tangible in minutes rather than days.
- Everything at a glance: You can see which devices and applications are active on the network, identify unauthorized devices or shadow IT, prioritize security gaps, and simultaneously check whether all systems meet compliance standards—this reduces risks and enables security measures to be implemented immediately.
Introduce Armis with EBF and reap the benefits
Cybersecurity is no longer an arms race—it’s a game of chess. If you don’t think several moves ahead, you’ll lose. That’s why we are constantly improving our IT security portfolio and are happy to advise you on the use of Armis Centrix™ in your company.
Want to know how visible your company really is?
We’ll show you where your blind spots are—and how to eliminate them.
