Cybersecurity is a Business Risk, not an IT Problem

A lot of people assume that anything to do with computers at a company is an IT problem, but a solid cybersecurity strategy is more holistic than that. Poor cybersecurity protocols can destroy customer relationships, lose shareholders, and land companies in hot water with regulatory bodies. To help safeguard your company’s digital assets your cybersecurity strategy needs to start at the top and permeate the entire company. Cybersecurity should be everyone’s responsibility, from the C suite to the mailroom clerk, and should never be the sole responsibility of the IT department.

A company that doesn’t have robust cybersecurity policies in place may find itself the victim of:

• A data breach
• Ransomware
• Phishing
• Intellectual property theft
• Sabotage
• Fraud
• Heavy Fines
• Loss of reputation

2018 saw a large number of widescale cybersecurity breaches and threats that affected millions of Americans. These breaches not only decimated customer trust and tarnished brand reputations, but many of them also left the companies in question in legal trouble. If a company is found to be negligent in protecting customer data it could also run afoul with a variety of governmental regulations including GDPR and HIPPA.

Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Job

Safeguarding your company’s digital assets should be a part of every employee's job. To ensure your cybersecurity strategy is robust enough to protect your company you need to:

• Craft a comprehensive and dynamic cybersecurity strategy
• Train all your employees about the importance of good cybersecurity practices and teach them how to spot potential cybersecurity problems
• Make sure all employees know who to report potential problems to so that they can be investigated further.

How to Safeguard Your Company’s Digital Assets

Crafting a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy

The first step to good cybersecurity is to craft comprehensive cybersecurity policies. To ensure nothing is missed you may want to consult with a professional who is up to date on the latest threats and cybersecurity protocols. Cybercrime is constantly evolving and changing, and staying ahead of the threats is critical. You should also make sure that your cybersecurity policies can adapt and change to address new threats. Remember, the best defense is a good offense.

Educating and Empowering Your Employees

Once you have robust cybersecurity policies in place it is important to document them clearly and make sure all employees receive comprehensive training. Good documentation not only helps ensure that new hires can be brought up to speed quickly and effectively but also helps current employees ensure that they are following all protocols correctly.

As part of your new and improved cybersecurity policy, you should train all employees about the importance of cybersecurity and explain why it is important for all employees to take responsibility for safeguarding your company’s digital assets. Employee education is critical because even the best crafted and most comprehensive cybersecurity strategy is only useful if your employees are able to implement it effectively.

You should teach employees about the sort of cybersecurity threats they might encounter, such as phishing scams and malware. Another classic low tech ploy employed by cybercriminals is to leave USB drives infected with malware in a parking lot or other semi-public place in the hopes that employees will pick them up and plug them into their computers. Once the infected USB drives are connected they can either infect the system or give the cybercriminals access to sensitive or proprietary information.

Employees need to know how to recognize potential threats and what to do about them. For example, suspicious USB sticks should be turned into security and employees should report suspicious looking emails to your cybersecurity team. Employees need to know who they should report suspicious activity to so that it can be investigated further.

Remaining Vigilant and Adaptive

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly shifting and changing, which is why it is important to stay up to date. You never know what new threat may emerge, and you and your company need to be able to adapt and defend yourselves. Your cybersecurity policy needs to be flexible enough that you can adapt and update it in a timely manner to respond to new potential threats.

MSSP Can Help

Good cybersecurity requires a lot of time, energy, and resources. Many businesses may not have the resources or people power to create a dedicated in-house cybersecurity team, which is where Managed Security Service Providers come in. MSSPs are staffed by teams of cybersecurity experts and can offer you protection and monitoring 24/7/365. They can also help you assess your cybersecurity needs and craft comprehensive and flexible policies to meet them, and help you educate your employees about cybersecurity and the role they play in protecting your company and its assets from cybersecurity threats.