Does your business understand the importance of cybersecurity? A glance at the headlines reveals that businesses of all sizes suffer at the hands of cyber criminals every day. Some have even suggested that organizations focus too much on technology rather than providing training and putting policies in place. This can lead to a situation where a company that has invested extensively in cybersecurity technology can be an easy target for hackers.
Given that human error accounts for the majority of data breaches, it is essential that you should foster a culture of security awareness and good practice around your business. Here are steps you can take to bring that culture to life.
Provide extensive training
If you want to instil a culture of cyber security in your business then you need to provide a high level of training for employees. Too often staff are confused about what they should be doing, having heard conflicting ideas about what constitutes good security practice. When you provide them with the knowledge, skills and tools, employees can be hugely important for detecting and defending against attacks.
Training should cover everything from how to set strong passwords, manage, use and store data safely, as well as spot and avoid common cyber security threats. Your staff need to understand what is expected of them as well as how their actions (or lack of) could put the company at risk.
Instigate policies from the top down
Company culture is not something that you can dictate. Training is an important part of creating a security culture, but if senior staff act as though they are above the rules, this will create the impression that security is not considered important. It is essential that the people at the top of the company behave in the same way they expect their teams to. If you are responsible for cybersecurity within your business it is essential that you communicate this message to management.
Invest in people, systems and resources
If you want your team to take cybersecurity seriously then you need to demonstrate appropriate investment. Protecting your business in an ever-evolving threat landscape requires a combination of people, processes, and technology and it’s important to regularly review requirements.
If your business lacks the resources to hire a full-time security team, working with a specialist managed cybersecurity services provider (MSSP) will help make your business safer, for a price that can be considerably more affordable than equivalent in-house investment. Working with an MSSP could help your organization to detect and fix security vulnerabilities, proactively monitor your IT network for threats, and provide help and support when needed.
Be prepared to adapt with the times
You should not assume that organizing training sessions and implementing a few new procedures will be enough to build a culture of security for your business. One of the most important aspects of a security culture is a willingness to adapt to the digital landscape changes. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, businesses need to get with the times.
Changes can be technical. For instance, it is no longer considered practically possible for a business to be able to block all attacks at the perimeter. Instead, it is widely accepted that some attacks will breach the network and it is, therefore, necessary to invest in defensive measures such as internal event monitoring.
Changes can also be behavioral. A good example of this is the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recommendation in 2016, against previous wisdom, that businesses shouldn’t force users to regularly set new passwords.
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