Table of Contents
- What are the top 5 blind spots in enterprise security in 2025?
- What qualifies as a security blind spot?
- How can I find shadow IT and forgotten assets fast?
- How should we tier vendor risk in the supply chain?
- Which controls cut cloud misconfiguration risk?
- How do we reduce identity sprawl and govern machine identities?
- How often should we run incident simulations and what should we include?
- What are the exact steps to close the security blind spot gaps?
- When does automation help and when does it hurt?
- Key facts worth mentioning
- FAQ
- Where to go next
What are the top 5 blind spots in enterprise security in 2025?
Most mid-market teams keep tripping over the same five blind spots:
- Shadow IT
- Vendor overreach
- Cloud misconfiguration
- Identity sprawl with machine identities
- Incident drills that never change anything
Each of these has a practical fix: continuous discovery finds shadow IT, clear vendor tiers manage third-party risk, baseline policies catch cloud drift, tighter identity hygiene controls access, and short-lived exercises that end with one visible change make drills meaningful.
Gut check: If a tool, tenant, or key isn’t in a system of record with a named owner, expect it to disappear on your hardest day. Move it to the top of your list.
What qualifies as a security blind spot?
A blind spot is a risk that sits outside monitoring and ownership. It’s missing from inventories and not tied to a person who can act, which slows response when minutes matter.
Why it happens isn’t mysterious: speed and handoffs. Trial SaaS that lingers, a lab server that becomes production, a partner link that outlives the project, and roles that change while permissions stay frozen. Name those patterns now, and you can remove them on purpose.
The next four sections tackle each blind spot with specific controls you can implement.
How can I find shadow IT and forgotten assets fast?
Start where signal already lives. DNS and identity logs reveal unapproved tools and stale accounts in hours. Then, agentless cloud discovery sweeps accounts and SaaS platforms to fill the gaps.
Your approach:
- Run continuous discovery across endpoints, cloud accounts, and software, then review weekly
- Use a light intake process that records owner, data classification, and access requirements
- Tag by environment and auto-expire test resources to prevent quiet drift
If no one can answer “who owns this” in 30 seconds, fix ownership first so later policies have a place to land.
How should we tier vendor risk in the supply chain?
Keep the model simple. Two factors determine the tier: access level and data sensitivity.
| Tier | Definition | Controls |
|---|---|---|
| One (High) | Direct data access or admin in core systems | Continuous monitoring, breach notice terms, rapid patch requirements |
| Two (Medium) | Indirect access or scoped data | Quarterly checks, event-based reviews |
| Three (Low) | No data or access | Basic terms, annual review |
Your approach:
- Document clear promotion and demotion triggers between tiers
- Put explicit controls and notice requirements in contracts for high-tier vendors so response isn’t optional
- Watch high-tier vendors for changes and incidents, not just annual forms
Not every vendor partner is Tier One, but a few absolutely are. Treat those like extensions of core systems. Write the promotion rules so a change in access triggers a change in oversight—that way, controls grow with impact instead of lagging behind. For context, see the DBIR 2024 report on supply chain interconnection (15% of incidents involve supply chain).
Which controls cut cloud misconfiguration risk?
Defaults do the heavy lifting. Set baselines for storage, network, identity, and secrets. Scan for drift and block high-risk changes before they land.
Your approach:
- Publish baseline policies for storage, network, identity, and secrets—keep them short and copyable
- Scan for drift and block high-risk changes so prevention beats cleanup
- Limit public exposure, restrict service principals, and log admin actions with sensible retention
Independent reporting ties misconfiguration to roughly 30% of findings (IBM X-Force 2024). Treat it like quality: prevent, measure, improve, then repeat.
How do we reduce identity sprawl and govern machine identities?
Make the safe path the easy path. Require multi-factor authentication for every user, revoke dormant access quickly, and scope least privilege so standing rights shrink.
Your checklist:
- Require multi-factor authentication for all users, including admins, then test recovery paths
- Revoke dormant access and scope least privilege so blast radius falls
- Inventory machine identities, rotate keys on schedule, and add policy-based access tied to real jobs
Valid-account abuse shows up in 30% of incidents (IBM X-Force 2024), and it’s quiet until it isn’t. Cutting standing access is a fast, visible win that buys time for deeper cleanup.
How often should we run incident simulations and what should we include?
Practice is short and real. Run a 60–90 minute live drill each quarter and after major changes. Use ready-made tabletop packages to plan, assign named owners, and capture decisions as change requests so improvements land in your backlog instead of staying in notes.
Best practices to run incident simulations:
- Run simulations quarterly and after major changes so muscle memory builds
- Assign owners per system and vendor, record escalation paths, and test the phone numbers
- Capture lessons as change controls, not just notes, then track fixes to completion
Keep it grounded: one compromised account, one noisy vendor alert, one hard call on containment. The goal is clarity under pressure, not drama. Make sure one fix ships after every drill so practice turns into progress.
What are the exact steps to close the security blind spot gaps?
Pull the threads together with a four-phase cycle that builds on itself.
Phase 1: Discover
Build one view across endpoint, cloud, identity, and vendor signals. Set a weekly review cadence. You can’t fix what you can’t see.
Phase 2: Protect
Rank findings by blast radius and crown-jewel exposure so noise stays out of the way. Then apply baseline controls:
- Start with Zero Trust basics per NIST SP 800-207 (identity, device health, segmented access)
- Apply Microsoft 365 Apps security baselines for quick wins
- Automate guardrails with policy and drift checks so standards act like rails, not walls
Phase 3: Test
Run red and purple team drills that chain issues end-to-end so fixes match real attack paths. Testing reveals gaps that the other phases miss.
Phase 4: Improve
Track decisions and fixes in one backlog. Keep the loop small and visible so teams follow it because it helps them finish faster. When momentum compounds, small wins stack and blind spots shrink for good. That rhythm is what changes the culture, not another slide.
When does automation help and when does it hurt?
Automation shines on boring, repeatable checks. It hurts when tuning is weak or context is missing.
The balance: Start by blocking only high-risk changes. Measure false positives, then tighten with evidence so trust grows with every release. Keep people in the loop where judgment matters.
If you treat automation like a teammate that needs feedback, it earns its place. If you skip that feedback loop, it becomes another dashboard no one believes.
What key facts worth mentioning
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world incidents | 30,458 | Verizon 2024 DBIR |
| Confirmed breaches | 10,626 | Verizon 2024 DBIR |
| Human element share | 68% | Verizon 2024 DBIR |
| Supply chain interconnection | 15% | Verizon 2024 DBIR |
| Stolen valid accounts | 30% | IBM X-Force 2024 |
| Misconfiguration share | ~30% | IBM X-Force 2024 PDF |
| Zero Trust reference | NIST SP 800-207 | NIST |
| Microsoft 365 baseline | Security baseline for Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn |
| Incident drill kits | CISA Tabletop Packages and Tips | CISA, Tips |
FAQ
What is the fastest way to see shadow IT in a mid-market company?
Begin with DNS and identity logs for quick signal. Add agentless cloud discovery for coverage. Tag owners and set auto-expiry on test assets so the cleanup holds after the first pass.
How should vendors be tiered for risk?
Use access level and data sensitivity. Give high-tier vendors continuous monitoring and clear notice terms so response is contractual, not hopeful.
Which policies cut cloud misconfiguration risk?
Block public storage by default, enforce least privilege, rotate keys, and alert on drift. These four controls keep showing value in independent reporting for a reason.
How often should incident simulations run?
Run them quarterly and after major changes. Keep them short, decide on one change, then track that change to completion so practice becomes progress.
Where do Zero Trust efforts start in a mid-market setting?
Start with identity, device health, and segmented access. Consistent basics beat clever edges every time.
Where to go next
- Zero Trust programs
- Vendor risk management
- Cloud security services
- Application security
- Security assessments
- M365 security in 60 days
- Trends shaping 2025
- AI powered attacks
- Hybrid identity at risk
Ready to get started? If you want a plan you can ship this quarter, we’ll help you name owners, light up intake processes, and run a first drill. Small, real, and built to stick, so the next review feels lighter, not louder.