“Why are those car’s brakes so big? I bet it’s so they can stop quickly.”

My son asked me this question when admiring an exotic sports car parked in front of our restaurant the other day.

I told him, “No, it’s to be able to go faster!”

He looked puzzled, so I explained: Big brakes do allow for quicker stops, but their real purpose is enabling faster driving. Knowing you can stop or slow down quickly gives you the confidence to push the car to its limits. With smaller brakes, that confidence disappears—you’d have to drive slower to ensure safety.

Consider a race car approaching a tight curve. If the driver has to begin braking far in advance (because of small brakes), their lap time will suffer. On the other hand, with big brakes, they can brake later, navigate the curve safely, and finish the lap faster. The key isn’t just the braking itself—it’s how the brakes enable the driver to achieve their purpose: completing the course as quickly as possible.

Again using the parallel above, it’s very important to keep your eye on the bigger picture.  It’s not the curve.  It’s not the act of slowing down.  It’s the act of being able to achieve your purpose.  For the race car, the purpose is to get the fastest time possible around a track, but that means they will have to slow down to safely navigate a tight turn.  But if you only hone in on the braking action, then one could wrongly conclude that the slow down resulting from using brakes is detracting from the purpose.

Cybersecurity: The "Big Brakes" of Business

On our way home after eating, I thought this parallel is a lot like cybersecurity as well as other business functions such as HR and procurement to name a few.

To grow and scale effectively, your organization needs to move fast to meet business objectives. A strong cybersecurity program acts like the big brakes on a race car—it allows the organization to operate quickly and confidently while managing risks effectively. Without it, the fear of potential incidents would slow down innovation and progress.

For example:

• Risk assessment capabilities are like knowing when and where to brake, ensuring you can avoid incidents without unnecessary delays.


• Incident detection and response functions like rapid braking—quickly identifying and containing threats before they cause damage.


• Red Team activities resemble a sharp turn on the track, uncovering vulnerabilities that require quick corrective action.

At first glance, these might seem like obstacles to innovation. But focusing solely on these "slows" misses the bigger picture. Just as big brakes prevent crashes and enable faster lap times, strong cybersecurity allows organizations to safely innovate and deploy new technologies.

Mastering the Balance

Just as high performance brakes can prevent a crash by stopping quickly, a strong information security program can allow for rapid and safe deployment of innovations if the brakes are of the proper size, engineered into the “car” appropriately, AND properly used by the driver.

Because, let’s face it, brakes are brakes.  Misusing them—riding the brakes unnecessarily—can slow you down and cause you to miss your goals. That’s why it’s crucial to align braking actions with the bigger purpose. In information security, this means applying risk management principles thoughtfully to support broader business objectives.

When done well, cybersecurity is not a roadblock. It’s a business enabler.

Cybersecurity as a Business Enabler

Investments in cybersecurity aren’t just about compliance or avoiding costs—they drive business success. They provide the confidence to move quickly while staying safe, giving organizations the ability to innovate at scale.

What other parallels can you think of that align with this concept?

(Note: The car example is for illustrative purposes only. Always drive safely and follow posted speed limits.)

By Ian Schneller

Keywords: Cybersecurity, Digital Disruption, Leadership

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