Which is a primary purpose of security controls?

The primary purpose of security controls is to protect the availability of sensitive information. Security controls are designed to safeguard data and ensure that it remains confidential, integral, and accessible only to authorized users. By implementing security controls, organizations can mitigate risks related to unauthorized access, data breaches, and other threats that could compromise the security and availability of sensitive information. These controls not only help in maintaining data integrity and confidentiality but also ensure that critical assets are protected against potential vulnerabilities and attacks. Protecting sensitive information is fundamental to maintaining trust, regulatory compliance, and overall organizational security posture.

In contrast, minimizing software performance is not a goal of security controls; rather, it is typically a concern that organizations strive to avoid. Similarly, improving user productivity is a beneficial outcome, but it is not the primary purpose of security controls. Finally, reducing budget allocation for security runs counter to the intent of security measures, which is to enhance protection rather than cut investment in critical security systems.