Most CISOs and IT executives don’t need to be told why it’s important to deploy security solutions, or why doing so sooner rather than later can mean the difference between safety and threat. After all, it’s really not a question of whether your people, networks, software and systems will be under attack; it’s a question of when, how often and to what degree. And being prepared isn’t just smart—it’s table stakes in a world in which any number of attacks can affect everything from your day-to-day operations to your stock price and brand reputation, creating headaches or worse for your CEO and board of directors.

So what can a CISO or IT executive do to keep their company, colleagues and clients safe with timely security investments? Consider an external funding source, like an IT financing partner. Creative and flexible financing can make it easy and cost effective to deploy the security you need right now, without paying for it all at once. And financing can be very appealing to the bean counters, as it helps preserve cash, freeing up capital for other worthy projects. Even if a security budget has been approved, by using creative financing you can look like a hero on two fronts: IT and finance.