Security Without the Guesswork: Why Baselines Beat Best Practices

Ask five vendors for “best practice” advice, and you’ll get five answers—and a checklist you’ll never finish.

“Best practice” might sound authoritative. But in most environments, it’s:

• Too vague

• Too generic

• Too hard to measure

• And completely divorced from how your business actually runs

Security that works isn’t about following theoretical ideals. It’s about aligning people, tools, and processes to a clear, known-good standard.

That’s a baseline.

What Is a Security Baseline?

A baseline is a defined, documented, and approved configuration or policy that represents:

• What’s expected

• What’s acceptable

• And what’s normal for your environment

It might cover:

• Device setup

• Access levels

• App configurations

• Logging policies

• Backup frequency

• Admin rights

• Data retention

A good baseline is something your team agrees on, aligns to, and audits against.

Why Baselines Are Better Than Best Practice

Here’s how they shift your whole approach:

1. They’re Contextual

Best practices are generic. Baselines are yours. They reflect your:

• Industry

• Team size

• Risk appetite

• Compliance needs

No one else can define “normal” for your business. A baseline puts that power back in your hands.

2. They’re Measurable

You can’t audit “do things securely.”

But you can audit:

• Are all devices encrypted?

• Are all admin accounts reviewed monthly?

• Are backups running daily and tested weekly?

That’s clarity. That’s accountability.

3. They Reduce Noise

When you know what normal looks like, anomalies stand out.

• A device missing AV? That’s a baseline deviation.

• A user with unexpected privileges? That’s a red flag.

• A backup job not matching frequency? That’s not compliant.

Baselines help you spot drift—and fix it early.

4. They Speed Up Response

In incident response, time is everything. A clear baseline means:

• Less back-and-forth

• Faster decision-making

• Fewer “is this supposed to be here?” delays

You can trust what’s known—and focus on what’s not.

Where to Apply Baselines

You don’t need to start everywhere. Pick the high-value areas first.

Identity and Access

• MFA enforced

• Admin roles documented

• Access reviews quarterly

• Temporary elevation only via approval

Devices

• Encryption required

• OS fully patched

• AV + EDR enabled

• Only approved apps installed

Data

• Labels applied for all sensitive files

• External sharing only via approved platforms

• DLP policies enforced

Cloud Services

• Legacy auth disabled

• Logging enabled and retained

• Conditional access for high-risk scenarios

Backups

• Frequency documented

• Recovery tested quarterly

• Immutable copies stored offsite

  
  

How to Build a Baseline

1. Start Small

Pick one area—identity, devices, backups, etc. Define what “good” looks like for your org.

2. Get Buy-In

Align with leadership and ops teams. Make sure what you define is realistic and enforceable.

3. Document It

Use plain language. Store it where people will use it. This isn’t for shelfware—it’s for actual reference.

4. Audit and Adapt

Check for drift regularly. Use automated tools where possible. Revise your baseline when business needs change.

Final Thought: Define “Secure Enough” On Your Terms

Security gets clearer when you stop chasing vague ideals and start defining what’s acceptable.

A good baseline isn’t a limit—it’s a foundation.

It gives your team a common language, a measurable target, and a reference point for both growth and risk.

If your current posture relies on hope, habit, or “what we’ve always done,” a baseline is the fastest way to shift from reactive to reliable.