{ "totalCount": 23101, "pageSize": 10, "pageNumber": 1, "totalPages": 2311, "posts": [ { "post_type": "post", "post_id": 295954, "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/lessons-from-it-security-how-revenue-enablement-builds-executive-relevance\/", "title": "Lessons From IT Security: How Revenue Enablement Builds Executive Relevance", "date": "Apr 24, 2026 10:59:04", "excerpt": "Revenue enablement teams often deliver strong operational value but struggle to build sustained executive influence. Looking to IT security\u2019s evolution, this blog explores how shifting from activity to business impact, balancing execution with foresight, and engaging leaders earlier can help enablement earn lasting strategic relevance.", "body": "

We recently published\u00a0<\/span>Advocating For Revenue Enablement: A Practitioner\u2019s Guide To Executive Communications<\/span><\/a>, a report born from a familiar frustration: Revenue enablement teams consistently deliver value yet struggle to earn sustained influence with senior leadership. That challenge, however, is not unique: One of enablement\u2019s closest functional peers has already navigated it.<\/span><\/p>\n

A decade ago, IT security faced a similar problem. The work was essential, deeply operational, and largely invisible when done well. Security teams were pulled into executive conversations only after something went wrong, and it was far from fun. What changed wasn\u2019t the importance of security; it was how their leaders\u00a0<\/span>learned to advocate<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for the function upstream. Revenue enablement can learn from that evolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lesson number one: Prevention creates value but not influence.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Early<\/span>\u2011stage security teams focused on activity: vulnerabilities patched, systems monitored, incidents avoided. All were important but none particularly compelling to executives deciding where to invest next. Security leaders learned that prevention alone, while valuable, does not drive executive engagement. Influence emerged only when security began translating its work into the language leaders already cared about: business risk, trade-offs, and exposure \u2014 not \u201cHow many threats were blocked?\u201d but \u201cWhat happens if we don\u2019t act?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Revenue enablement often falls into the same trap. Teams lead with programs delivered, content deployed, certifications completed, or <\/span>tools adopted<\/span><\/a>. But as our\u00a0<\/span>research<\/span><\/a> shows, executives don\u2019t reward volume; they respond to relevance. Enablement earns attention when it connects its work to outcomes leaders are already accountable for, such as seller productivity, execution risk, behavioral stagnation, poor\u00a0<\/span>change management<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and the cost of inaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lesson number two: Mature functions balance operational excellence with strategic foresight.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Modern IT security leaders understand an important balance. Roughly 80% of their effort is foundational and preventive: keeping systems stable, enforcing standards, reducing known risks. That work is non<\/span>negotiable and table stakes. But the remaining 20% is what earns them a seat at the table. They anticipate emerging threats, advise on future investment decisions, and help the C-suite understand risks that don\u2019t yet appear on a dashboard. Security\u2019s influence comes not from reacting faster but from helping the business see around corners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Revenue enablement already excels at the foundational 80%: onboarding, everboarding, skills reinforcement, and program execution. The opportunity \u2014 and the lesson from security \u2014 lies in intentionally investing in the other 20%. That includes anticipating <\/span>shifts in buyer behavior<\/span><\/a>, preparing sellers for new motions before performance dips, and advising leaders on what \u201cgood\u201d selling will require\u00a0next year. Enablement\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0earn influence by abandoning its servant role. It earns it by complementing execution with foresight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lesson number three: Advocacy comes from contribution, not visibility.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Security\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0gain executive relevance by\u00a0asking\u00a0to be invited into important meetings. It earned its place by making leaders better decision<\/span>\u2011makers. Over time, CISOs shifted from reporting incidents to advising on strategy, helping executives weigh speed against risk and innovation against exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Revenue enablement faces the same choice. Waiting for QBRs or budget cycles to justify past work rarely builds influence. As the report notes,\u00a0enablement\u00a0leaders who contribute earlier,\u00a0by framing enablement insights as inputs to planning and decision<\/span>–<\/span>making,\u00a0<\/span>shift the conversation<\/span><\/a> from attribution to trust. As Ben Purton, senior enablement manager of international go-to-market delivery at Zoom, put it, \u201cWithout attribution, we lose visibility. And without visibility, enablement gets cut when times are tough.\u201d The lesson from security is clear: Advocacy isn\u2019t about asking for attention; it\u2019s about being useful when decisions are being formed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Executive relevance is built, not requested.<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Revenue enablement doesn\u2019t need to become IT security to learn from it. But security\u2019s evolution offers a powerful blueprint: Move beyond activity, balance prevention with foresight, and engage leaders on the issues they need to consider before problems surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enablement\u2019s path forward is not louder reporting or broader visibility. It is sharper relevance, grounded in outcomes, aligned to leadership priorities, and focused on helping the business succeed tomorrow, not just explaining what happened yesterday. <\/span>That\u2019s\u00a0how influence is earned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to discuss\u00a0how to\u00a0<\/span>measure<\/span><\/a> and communicate the value of revenue enablement? Forrester customers can request a guidance session with me <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Heading to Phoenix for B2B Summit? Sign up for my workshop, \u201c<\/span>Measure, Message, Influence: A Revenue Enablement Value Playbook<\/span><\/a>,\u201d on the mobile app.<\/span><\/p>\n", "category": [ { "term_id": 51784, "name": "B2B Sales", "slug": "b2b-sales", "description": "", "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2b-sales\/" }, { "term_id": 51582, "name": "Revenue Operations", "slug": "revenue-operations", "description": "Revenue operations bridges strategy and execution to drive superior performance and growth. Explore Forrester's insights for revenue operations leaders and teams to help accelerate business impact.\r\n\r\nExplore Forrester Decisions for Revenue Operations.<\/a>", "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/revenue-operations\/" }, { "term_id": 50670, "name": "Sales Enablement", "slug": "sales-enablement", "description": "Sales success \u2014 and, by extension, organizational success \u2014 rests in large part on sales reps having the skills and knowledge required to execute on sales strategy. Read our sales enablement insights to equip your sales team to achieve and exceed objectives.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports sales professionals.<\/a>", "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-enablement\/" } ], "meta_desc": "Revenue enablement can learn from IT security: Shift from activity to business impact, add foresight, and engage leaders early.", "author": "Peter Ostrow" }, { "post_type": "post", "post_id": 295617, "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/in-the-ai-era-banks-need-dynamic-platforms-results-from-our-dbep-wave\/", "title": "In The AI Era, Banks Need Dynamic Platforms \u2014 Results From The Forrester Wave\u2122: Digital Banking Engagement Platforms, Q2 2026", "date": "Apr 24, 2026 08:40:20", "excerpt": "To compete for customers and grow profitably, banks need the ability to adjust as much and as fast as required at any given moment. Leading digital banking engagement platforms (DBEPs) make that possible. My new report, The Forrester Wave\u2122: Digital Banking Engagement Platforms, Q2 2026, reveals insights about the current AI and technology landscape in […]", "body": "

To compete for customers and grow profitably, banks need the ability to adjust as much and as fast as required at any given moment. Leading digital banking engagement platforms (DBEPs) make that possible.<\/p>\n

My new report, The Forrester Wave\u2122: Digital Banking Engagement Platforms, Q2 2026<\/a>, reveals insights about the current AI and technology landscape in banking. DBEPs remain vital to banking providers: As one bank exec told us, \u201cThe two biggest checks any bank writes are to their core provider and to their digital engagement vendor. These platforms are mission-critical for us.\u201d Here are three takeaways from our research:<\/p>\n