Intelligence requirements

Watch our video on important intelligence requirements from our experts at Mandiant and beyond. 

This lesson, from our Cyber Intelligence Foundations course, provides an overview of the value of intelligence requirements and their role in driving intelligence production and consumption.

Intelligence requirements are a crucial part of a strong intelligence program. They help define what an organization wants to achieve with its intelligence and guide the collection and analysis phases of the CTI life cycle.

Key characteristics of good intelligence requirements include:

• Balance between specificity and vagueness: They should be specific enough to be actionable but not so narrow that they miss the bigger picture.
• Feasibility: The information required should exist and be accessible to analysts.
• Alignment with stakeholder needs and threat profile: Intelligence requirements should address the needs of stakeholders and be relevant to the threats faced by the organization.
• Actionable: Intelligence gathered should lead to concrete actions that benefit the organization.

Formalizing and centralizing intelligence requirements helps:

• Identify commonalities between stakeholder needs: This ensures that resources are used efficiently and that priorities are set effectively.
• Prioritize overall organizational needs: By having a comprehensive view of all intelligence requirements, it's easier to rank them and allocate resources accordingly.
• Maintain focus: Everything undertaken in the CTI life cycle should align with at least one intelligence requirement, ensuring that efforts are directed toward what matters most.

It's important to revisit intelligence requirements periodically with stakeholders to ensure that they remain aligned with the organization's evolving needs.

Watch to learn how intel requirements inform stakeholders and drive intelligence in this video lesson from Mandiant's Cyber Intel Foundations course.