This planning framework presents a comprehensive methodology for developing, implementing, and sustaining cybersecurity strategy. It introduces a five-phase model—covering initiation, stocktaking and analysis, strategy production, implementation, and evaluation—with detailed guidance to support planning, execution, and oversight.
Built around a lifecycle approach, the framework helps align governance, risk management, operations, and stakeholder coordination across diverse contexts. It supports organizations in translating strategic intent into practical, sustained outcomes.
Drawing on internationally recognized standards and methodologies—including ENISA, the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), and the Cybersecurity Capacity Maturity Model (CMM)—the document incorporates global best practices in cybersecurity planning and resilience.
Developed collaboratively by leading cybersecurity organizations across public, private, and academic domains, this resource provides a credible, field-tested foundation for professionals responsible for shaping cybersecurity strategy in complex environments.
This Will Help You...
This framework provides structure, clarity, and guidance to help cybersecurity and IT leaders design, implement, and manage cybersecurity strategies with confidence. It links strategic intent to operational decision-making, supporting the full lifecycle of cybersecurity strategy development.
- Apply a phased strategy development model: Use the five-phase lifecycle to structure your process, align stakeholders, and set clear expectations throughout the strategy development journey.
- Define governance roles and accountability structures: Leverage guidance on leadership, coordination, and institutional responsibilities to build a clear, functional governance model.
- Incorporate risk management into strategic priorities: Translate threat assessments and sectoral risk profiles into decisions that align cybersecurity investments with business continuity and compliance goals.
- Translate policy into implementation plans: Move from high-level objectives to actionable roadmaps by defining activities, assigning resources, and establishing performance metrics.
- Ensure stakeholder alignment and inclusiveness: Embed public-private coordination, civil society engagement, and capacity-building to create strategies that are implementable and context-sensitive.
- Integrate resilience and trust into strategic outcomes: Plan for preparedness, response, and public confidence through structured guidance on resilience and trust-building mechanisms.
- Engage with international standards and cooperation mechanisms: Align your strategy with global norms and frameworks to ensure interoperability, benchmarking, and cross-border collaboration.
This framework equips cybersecurity and IT leaders with a structured, repeatable approach to strategy development—supporting the creation of governance models, implementation plans, investment strategies, and evaluation tools. Designed for complex environments where coordination, accountability, and sustainability are essential, it connects policy, operations, and oversight to help embed resilience, trust, and strategic alignment into the core of digital systems.
