Business process modeling is the practice of mapping how work moves through an organization: the tasks performed, the people or systems that hand work off, and the decision points that change the path. The result is a shared view of a workflow that helps teams spot bottlenecks, missing controls, duplicated steps, and points where data is created or altered.
In cyber security, this matters because attackers often exploit process weaknesses, not just technical flaws. If a process has unclear ownership, excessive trust between steps, or weak validation, an intruder can abuse approvals, fraud checks, or account changes to move fraudulently through the business. Defenders use process models to place controls where they are most effective, such as multi-step approval, exception handling, segregation of duties, logging, and verification of sensitive data. A good model also helps teams see when automation speeds work but silently removes the human review that catches suspicious activity.