Intel 471 has introduced a free Cyber Threat Intelligence Maturity Pulse Check to help organizations evaluate and strengthen their CTI programs.
Intel 471 has introduced the Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) Maturity Pulse Check, a free self-assessment designed to help organizations evaluate the current state of their cyber threat intelligence programs and identify areas for improvement.
Based on the Cyber Threat Intelligence Capability Maturity Model (CTI-CMM v1.3), the CTI Maturity Pulse Check is intended to provide practitioners with a structured, lightweight assessment that can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. The tool is designed to help organizations reflect on their existing CTI capabilities and prepare for a more comprehensive evaluation using the official CTI-CMM self-assessment.
"The CTI-CMM is a community-driven framework designed to give security teams a clear roadmap for improving how they support their wider business," said Michael DeBolt, President and Chief Intelligence Officer of Intel 471. "We created this streamlined version to make the framework more accessible for busy practitioners who want to kickstart internal planning for more comprehensive CTI program evaluations. The assessment is also free to support the broader CTI community amidst rapidly evolving cyber and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven threats in today's cybersecurity landscape."
Intel 471 cited findings from the 2026 SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence Survey that indicate 43% of CTI programs do not track maturity over time while only 26% of chief information security officers believe CTI meaningfully influences strategic decision-making. According to the company, establishing a measurable maturity baseline can help organizations support budget requests and build cross-functional support for strategic initiatives.
The CTI Maturity Pulse Check condenses each of the 11 CTI-CMM domains into a single representative question, with responses aligned to the model's maturity scale. Upon completion, participants receive an overall maturity tier, a summary of the highest-priority gaps and five recommended next steps.
The assessment classifies organizations into one of four maturity levels: Emerging, Reactive, Operational and Intelligence-led. Intel 471 said the guidance is intended to provide directional insight rather than a definitive maturity rating, recognizing that some domains may be more relevant than others depending on an organization's business model.
"Our goal is to help CTI teams at any level identify their 'right-sized' maturity to help understand where their program sits," added DeBolt. "Depending on a company's business model, some domains may be less relevant to its business, so our tiers and guidance should be treated as directional indicators and not definitive maturity ratings. Respondents don't need to see perfection across all 11 domains, but instead receive a clear vision of where their program stands today. This encourages productive internal conversations between security teams and key stakeholders on where the organization can focus and prioritize efforts."
Alongside the assessment, Intel 471 is offering a complimentary half-day workshop titled Operationalizing the CTI-CMM and Intelligence Planning Process: Analytical Traceability & Proving ROI. The workshop covers analytical traceability, Priority Intelligence Requirements and methods for demonstrating return on investment. Participants also receive a ready-to-deploy toolkit and a certificate of completion.