Once upon a time, in the mystical land of cybersecurity, a flock of executives blessed their security teams with Attack Surface Management (ASM) tools, because who doesn’t love a good inventory list? These magical tools promised the world: reduced risk, increased visibility, and, of course, a fuller appreciation of never-ending dashboards.

Security teams enthusiastically deployed their ASM tools, like kids on Christmas morning—but instead of finding presents, they discovered an entire warehouse of cyber knick-knacks: skyrocketing asset inventories, relentless alerts, and majestic dashboards that could rival the Sistine Chapel in their complexity.

But alas, when the high council of leadership, brandishing their spreadsheets, asked the ancient and sacred question, ‘Is this reducing incidents?’ the only response was an awkward silence, a nod to the ROI void, and perhaps an exaggerated shrug of indifference. Turns out, spinning dashboards and overflowing alerts don’t necessarily equal fewer breaches. Who knew?