Fix identity first. Enforced MFA on finance and admin accounts closes the entry path used in most real attacks, usually costs nothing, and takes an afternoon. Then evidence what your insurer asks about, then rationalize overlapping tools. Order beats volume.
Only 23% of midmarket companies prioritize identity management, by RSM's 2026 survey — while identity is how most attacks actually get in, and AI-assisted phishing is making it worse. That mismatch is the clearest first-move signal in security: the highest-exposure gap is frequently the cheapest one to close.
The ranked list matters more than any single fix, which is why our readout is built as one: rank, decision, reason, cost — including the decisions that cost nothing and the purchases worth deferring. The sample on the assessments page shows the format exactly.