If you asked a room full of board members what keeps them up at night, chances are “cybersecurity” would feature somewhere near the top. But scratch beneath the surface and it quickly becomes clear that while cybersecurity is a concern, the specifics are often foggy. And one concept that remains particularly underappreciated at the top table is External Attack Surface Management, or EASM.

That might sound technical, but let’s simplify it. Every business has a digital perimeter, a collection of websites, apps, cloud platforms, email services, and devices, and many of these are connected to the internet. That perimeter is what attackers see first. It’s your shopfront to the digital world. And the surprising thing is that most organisations don’t actually know everything that’s exposed.

EASM tools shine a light on that shadow. They help identify every asset that’s accessible from the outside world, whether or not it was deployed intentionally,  and show how it might be exploited. For a security team, that visibility is invaluable. But for a board, it’s strategic.

Why? Because you can’t govern risk you can’t see.

Imagine buying a building and only securing the front door, unaware there’s a side entrance propped open round the back. That’s what it’s like to have an incomplete view of your digital exposure. EASM gives leadership a full view of the doors and windows, not just the obvious ones.

And this matters more now than ever. Attackers are moving faster. Tools like AI are being used to scan the internet for vulnerable assets at scale. A misconfigured server can be found and exploited in minutes. Boards need to understand that external visibility is not just a technical issue — it’s an existential one.

But let’s not fall into the trap of thinking this is purely about breaches. EASM also touches governance, reputation, regulation, and competitive standing. If an unknown development server leaks customer data, that becomes a board-level crisis. If an old marketing domain is hijacked to host malicious content, that can destroy trust in your brand. EASM is not just about catching threats — it’s about anticipating them.

Crucially, this is an area where board influence matters. Many EASM projects falter not because of technical blockers, but due to lack of leadership prioritisation. If the board signals that understanding and reducing digital exposure is a strategic priority, teams will move. If they don’t, EASM remains “just another tool” and blind spots persist.

So if you’re a board member reading this, or a CISO trying to bring the board along for the ride, remember this: EASM is your early warning system. It tells you where risk is creeping in from the outside. It empowers better decisions. And it ensures you are not surprised by something you should have already seen.

It’s not just about knowing what’s out there. It’s about knowing what to do about it. And that starts at the top.