• There’s a huge difference between threat data, information, and intelligence. Understanding the difference is essential to getting the most out of your cybersecurity efforts.• In the progression from data to information to intelligence, the volume of outputs reduces while the value of those outputs increases.• Threat intelligence platforms produce data and information, which human analysts can use to produce actionable (operational) threat intelligence and to share that intelligence.• A computer can never produce threat intelligence, but humans are unsuited to the task of collecting and processing huge volumes of threat data.• Action must always be the end goal. Threat intelligence is useless unless it can be used to improve cybersecurity.