Protect Everything? Easier Said than Done with Cybersecurity
When it comes to cybersecurity, a “protect everything” ethos is an easy trap to fall into. However, you have to determine if a) that’s possible and b) if it makes the most sense for your business.
The first thing your organization must do is analyze mission-critical applications and devices, hunting for possible weaknesses. From there, determining how severe the vulnerabilities are, whether they are accessible, what controls are in place that might mitigate and/or monitor them, and how much it costs to fix each one.
Your organization also should pursue digital resilience, which is different from continuity of operations planning (COOP). While COOP is put into practice after a disaster has struck and operations must be maintained, digital resilience is about hardening networks and limiting the amount of damage that can be done.
In terms of what to protect, take an inventory of your organization’s most sacred assets. For example, you can withstand email going down for part of the work day. However, if your customer list and their payment card metadata have been breached, or you’ve lost the ability to take online orders for a day, it’s time to declare an emergency.
It might seem necessary to put issues like regulatory compliance, legal risks and corporate governance high on the list of priorities, but those factors will resolve themselves if you’re correctly prioritizing the data and other digital assets. This doesn’t mean they don’t matter – it’s just a result of lack of prioritizing, not a cause of your problem.
No matter who is demanding how your list is prioritized, business leaders can narrow down how to best protect their organizations from cyberthreats. For example, they can hold all personnel accountable for meeting cybersecurity priorities. Remain flexible to adapt to rapidly changing business conditions that could force a reordering of tactical priorities. Also, stay out of the way of your teams – set priorities, communicate what they are, and let your talented employees do their jobs.
Attempting to protect everything in your operations from cyberthreats is an imposing proposition. There’s no need to attempt to tackle this part of your business on your own. Contact 2W Tech today to get started with your Cybersecurity Compliance Program and let our IT Consultants do the work for you.
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