Yet the global trend keeps moving in the same direction. According to IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average breach now costs businesses $4.88 million¹, the highest figure they’ve recorded to date. And although technology has leapt forward, attackers are no longer relying on complex exploits to get in. They’re relying on something far more familiar. That gap between investment and outcome is what this guide is here to explore. It invites security leaders to take a step back, challenge long-held assumptions and look closer at what’s really driving today’s risk.