What cybersecurity topics kept you coming back in 2025? The numbers tell a clear story.
IT leaders, security professionals, and business decision-makers were searching for straightforward answers to real problems. They needed guidance on structuring support teams, protecting against ransomware, and staying compliant with new regulations.
Here’s what resonated most this year and why these articles are worth bookmarking as you head into 2026.
Methodology: How We Identified the Top Posts
We based rankings on total pageviews from Xantrion’s 2025 website analytics. We looked at three key metrics:
- Total views: Which articles attracted the most overall traffic?
- Active users: How many individual readers found the content valuable enough to spend time with it?
- Average engagement time per user: Did readers skim or actually absorb the information?
These metrics matter because they show which security topics people actively seek, not just what algorithms surface. When hundreds of readers spend meaningful time with an article, it signals that the content addresses real problems they’re trying to solve.
The Top Xantrion Posts of 2025
The year’s most-viewed articles span everything from IT fundamentals to emerging threats. Each one addressed a specific pain point, keeping readers engaged well beyond a quick scan.
1. Tiers of IT Support Explained
- Why it performed well: The concept of tiered support (Levels 0 through 4) isn’t new, but many companies still struggle to implement it effectively. High search demand for terms like “IT support levels” and “help desk tiers” drove consistent organic traffic throughout the year.
- Article summary: The article outlines the scope of each support tier, from self-service portals (Tier 0) through vendor support (Tier 4). It explains when to escalate issues, what skills each tier requires, and how to decide between in-house teams and managed services. It also provides practical guidance on cost considerations and efficiency improvements.
- Who it’s helpful for: If you’re an IT manager building or restructuring support teams, an executive evaluating managed service providers, or you’re just trying to improve response times while controlling costs, this practical framework can help you make decisions rather than just understanding theory.
2. Ransomware Risks for Food & Beverage
- Why industry-specific cybersecurity content stands out: Generic security advice only goes so far. Food and beverage companies face unique vulnerabilities, from operational technology systems that weren’t designed with security in mind to supply chain pressures that make them attractive targets for ransomware. The focus on real-world incidents, including the JBS attack that forced the closure of all US beef plants and the Swiss farmer who lost a cow to a milking robot hack, made abstract threats concrete.
- Key takeaways from the article: The article explains the importance of Operational Technology (OT) system security, the need for network segmentation between IT and operational networks, and the value of proactive threat detection over reactive responses.
- Rising threat trends in sector-specific attacks: Attackers increasingly tailor their approaches to industry vulnerabilities, meaning generic security guidance misses the context that sector-specific resources provide.
3. Cybersecurity Due Diligence & Vendor Risk
- Continued importance of vendor security: You can’t afford to ignore supply chain security. Third-party breaches accounted for 30% of all security incidents in late 2023 and 2024, double the rate from the previous 12 months, according to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report.
- Why this topic aligns with regulatory pressure: When Adidas fell victim to a vendor data breach in May 2025, it reminded us that our security is only as strong as our weakest link; in some cases, one of our vendors. The increasing number and severity of cyberattacks — along with organizations’ ever-expanding attack surfaces — have led the SEC to be even more stringent in its vendor risk management and oversight.
- Content summary: The guide walks you through the entire due diligence process, from identifying and prioritizing vendors to evaluating cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST and ISO 27001. It covers what to look for in certifications (SOC 2, PCI DSS, and SSAE 18), how to conduct effective audits, and when to bring in outside expertise.
4. Best Places to Work
- Why this matters to you: When you’re evaluating a managed security provider, you want to know that the team handling your security will be there next year. Our consistently low turnover — below 10% even during the pandemic’s “Great Resignation” — means you’ll work with experienced professionals who know your systems, not a rotating cast of newcomers.
- What sets us apart: The Q&A with co-founder and President Anne Bisagno explains how we attract and retain top talent in a fiercely competitive market. It isn’t just about flexibility — it’s about investing in our people through structured mentorship programs and annual training budgets ranging from $1,200 to $5,000 per employee.
- Why stability matters for your organization: When you partner with Xantrion, you get seasoned professionals who build deep knowledge of your environment. Our shadowing programs ensure that even newer team members can quickly develop the skills and relationships needed to serve you effectively. Low turnover means fewer handoffs, better institutional knowledge, and more consistent service.
5. HIPAA Security Rule Updates
- Strong relevance for healthcare clients: Compliance requirements drive consistent search traffic. If you handle protected health information, you need to stay current on HIPAA changes, and the proposed 393-page update to the Security Rule represents the biggest overhaul in years.
- Why regulatory content performs reliably: With over 180 million people affected by healthcare data breaches as of November 2024, the stakes couldn’t be higher. You need clear guidance on what’s changing and how to prepare.
- Summary of key insights: The post outlines major changes, including revised implementation specifications and the requirement for mandatory technology asset inventories and network maps. It also highlights enhanced risk analysis requirements and new technical safeguard mandates, including encryption and multi-factor authentication.
Additional High-Engagement Posts
Rounding out the top 10, these posts also earned strong readership in 2025:
- Digital Transformation and AI Journey: Practical guidance on approaching digital transformation in three stages, with real-world examples showing both successes and cautionary tales.
- Employee Offboarding Guide: Comprehensive workflows and checklists addressing an often overlooked security gap.
- Oracle’s 2025 Data Breach Lessons: Regulatory compliance and crisis-response guidance that highlights the importance of SEC disclosure requirements and timely communication.
- The Future of AEC: Architecture, engineering, and construction industry trends, covering Building Information Modeling, digital twins, and IoT applications for construction sites.
- ISO 27001 vs. SOC 2 & NIST: A framework comparison that helps you decide which cybersecurity certification path makes sense for your business.
Together, these top-performing articles made one thing clear: readers sought actionable guidance rooted in real-world challenges.
Looking to strengthen your organization’s technical support or cybersecurity posture in 2026? Contact Xantrion to discuss how our managed security services can help you address the challenges highlighted in this year’s most-read content.
