“Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot” the famous nursery rhyme relating to Guy Fawkes and his plan to blow up the House of Lords. This attempted attack shows that even in 1605, organisations faced threats from outsiders.
Whilst we aren’t saying there is someone out there armed and wanting to physically damage your business, you need to be aware that there are many cyber criminals out there with the ability and motive to “blow up” your business operations by crashing systems, stealing data and holding your information for ransom. Not only does this pose a threat to your finances, it can also seriously damage the reputation of your business.
Unlike the Gunpowder Plot, cyber threats don’t present themselves as isolated incidents and the perpetrators are difficult for the authorities to find. Cybercrime isn’t going to go away any time soon, with the threat landscape constantly changing and cyber criminals becoming more sophisticated.
How can I protect my business?
It is impossible to completely remove the risk of cybercrime, but the most effective way of reducing the risk to your business is to ensure that appropriate security measures are implemented and regularly maintained by people with the necessary expertise.
Comprehensive cyber security solutions will look at three core elements of modern businesses: people, processes and technologies. Many people mistakenly believe that cyber security doesn’t breach the boundaries of technology, but if you have not implemented proper processes or trained your staff, there are vulnerabilities in your organisation.
People
Everyone in the business should be aware of their role in preventing cyber threats and appreciate that it is everyone’s responsibility. Policies and a comprehensive cyber awareness programme are a good place to start in ensuring that your employees have the knowledge to handle information correctly and spot, then report various threats.
In addition to awareness amongst employees, it is essential to ensure you have specialised cyber security resource. This can either be internal IT staff, or an external organisation that you call upon for assistance. Cyber security specialists need to have up to date knowledge, otherwise they will affect the ability of your organisation to prevent and respond to any attacks.
Processes
Processes should be implemented to define organisational roles and responsibilities relating to your business data. These should be regularly reviewed (at least annually) to ensure that they are able to withhold the changing cyber security threat landscape. Employees should be educated on these processes and ensure that they are followed correctly.
Technology
Of course, technology is a critical element of any cyber security strategy. Through identifying risks and implementing multi-layered technical controls, you can work to protect your business from cyber-attacks.
Confused?
If you don’t know where to start with cyber security, have limited in house expertise to protect your business or would just like to discuss the subject with a specialist, get in touch by clicking here.
