Every Company’s Cyber Security Requirements Aren’t the Same! - 11 minutes read


Every Company’s Cyber Security Requirements Aren’t the Same! From: Destry Winant Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:46:25 -0500 http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/every-companys-cyber-security-requirements-arent-the-same/



Cyber Security is the art of preventing cyberspace and cyber

activities from the cyber-attacks. It is a collaboration of various

tools, plans, technologies as well as processes. The main aim of the

cybersecurity strategy is to protect the devices, programs, networks,

computers as well as the data from cyber-attacks. The cybersecurity

tools are devised to prevent any sort of unauthorized access or any

kind of damage to the system. Basically, cyber security also includes

physical security. The demand for cybersecurity has increased

massively in the near future. Especially, amongst businesses and

corporate setups, as the dependency on the cyberspace is growing.

Thus, it has become mandatory to secure the cyberspace.



Though, when it comes to cybersecurity methods and tools, not every

company requires a similar kind of strategy and tools. For example, a

small-sized firm may not need a similar tool that an MNC would need.

Also, the investment that every company is able to do in cyber

security varies. Though there is no doubt about the fact that the

cyber security’s industry is blooming, and it is expected to touch new

heights.



Immense growth of the cyber security industry



The cybersecurity industry is enjoying a very good hike at the moment.

As the security of the cyber activities and tools is the major concern

of every organization, and even many individuals have realized the

importance of cybersecurity, thus, the demand is pretty high.

Cybersecurity spending is mostly steered by cyber threats and attacks.

Unlike, other Custom Software Development Solutions sectors which are

mostly steered by decreasing inefficiencies and boosting productivity.

The high number of cyber-attacks is the basic reason that is leading

to more and more cyber spending. In fact, the researchers are now

unable to actually track the exact future spending of the

cybersecurity world. When it comes to the global spending on

cybersecurity tools and solution, it is expected to touch the $1

trillion mark in the five year period between 2017 and 2021.



The devastating effect of cyber crimes



Cybercrimes have devastating effects on businesses. They not only

adversely impact the financial status of the business, but they also

hamper the reputation of the company. Like, in the case of Under

Armour’s data breach. The company revealed that they were affected by

a very dangerous data breach which adversely impacted more than 150

million users. The cyber-attack affected the company in many ways as

the data was stolen. The stolen data included email addresses,

passwords as well as the usernames. Though the company tried to act

quickly and first of all, they tried to inform their customers. This

incident definitely impacted the company in the wrong ways.



Why do businesses even require cybersecurity?



The main reason why the business needs cybersecurity is that they are

very active in cyberspace. There are a lot of activities that are

happening in the cyberspace also, there is a lot of data which is

stored in the clouds, etc. Thus, it has become utmost important to

safeguard the cyberspace from crimes, hackings, breaches, etc.



The key objective of any cybersecurity program is to safeguard the

systems as well as the cybercrimes. Though, there are many forms and

types of cyber-attacks. Cyber-attack involves stealing of data,

phishing, while some involve the use of malware as well. But, the

worst part is that nowadays, the cybercriminals have started to find

out newer and newer ways to break into the cyberspace without

authorization. Basically, the cyber-attackers are becoming more and

more advanced, and they are finding out cheaper and more dangerous

ways to attack a system.



Therefore, there is no other choice than staying one level ahead of

the cybercriminals. Hence, companies not only need cybersecurity

practices, but they also have to evolve in order to become better and

better.



The cybersecurity needs of every business are not the same!



Just as a company may need a different type of office space (varying

in size or structure), a different type of tools and devices, in the

same way, every company requires a different type of cybersecurity

strategies, tools, and programs. But, in order to lay down the

specific demands, every company has to first understand the need and

importance of cybersecurity.



Here’re a few things to consider while devising your very own

cybersecurity strategy (especially for your business):



Set your Priorities right and add some actionable steps

The first to build a solid cybersecurity strategy is to set your

priorities. And, almost every business will have some diverse set of

priorities to work on. Evaluate what’s most important, and what’s

less, at the end of the day, you have to be very clear about why you

actually need a cybersecurity strategy, as that will help you to build

a powerful plan.

Start noting down the priorities along with the steps to depict what

exactly would you like to do and in which order. This is basically the

foundation that you need in order to develop very powerful

cybersecurity set up. Also, a well thought of priority list will help

you and your team curate a very efficient implementation process.

Along with the priorities, make sure you also note down the required

actionable next steps. The steps may also include the requirement of

more resources, the need of advanced tools and programs, etc. Though,

it will further need more time to finally decide on what you want to

exactly invest in. So, basically, you will need to rank your

priorities and then work on them one by one. This is similar to a game

of chess that requires a lot of planning initiatives as well as at

later stages in order to reap benefits.

And, one of the key things to consider here is that your priority list

would not be the same as some other business’ list as every firm has a

diverse set of cyber threats.



A thorough technology roadmap



In order to conceptualize a strong cybersecurity strategy, you will

have to also create a tech roadmap. It should include things like,

servers required to attain compliance requisites, the number of

projects which have to be completed, etc. The roadmap should be highly

technically-focused at the same time, it should also have detailed

timelines set for different things.

The tech-focused roadmap should also include the tools or programs the

company is using, and what will they need in the future. You may want

to include the financial elements related to different tech products

as well.

Though, it is suggested to get the business leaders from different

verticals to sit together and create this roadmap. Every part of the

business should be covered and reflected in this technology roadmap.



Use a threat model for highly efficient response and mitigation processes



HIPAA, GDPR and a host of other compliance standards offer a thorough

list of security methods and controls which have to be adopted.

However, it is suggested to design the cybersecurity architecture as

per the high priority cyber threats and vulnerabilities of the

company.



There are several effective frameworks to ensure the steady

categorization and classification of cyber threat activities. Also,

there are several such standards that help to determine the trends of

the cyber-attacks. Some standards even offer actionable steps to build

a very strong custom threat model.



Assessment



The most important part of your cybersecurity strategy is to assess

the most common risks and threats to your business. This has to be

very personalized, and most specifically about your own business only.

Here, you might also want to consider a few things like whether you

are using obsolete software which is prone to an attack or are your

staff is using extremely weak passwords.



After you have assessed the key areas of function, the second step

would be to understand the type of tools that you would need to avoid

risks. You may even want some real-time interactions with certain

people in your company to understand the risks better. You will have

to basically identify your business’ potential vulnerabilities. As

based on this information only you can mention the key focus areas.



Training your staff is the key to attaining ‘cybersecurity successes



Ideally, if you really want your business to be completely secured,

then each and every employee of your company should know the

importance of cybersecurity. At the same time, they should also be

aware of the steps they need to take in order to maintain the

cybersecurity of a company. The right set of teams should be trained

to know the procedure for assessing a cybersecurity attack. Along with

this, a comprehensive strategy is needed to offer lessons on various

things like, how to keep your passwords strong, using multi-factor

authorization, BYOD rules, how to identify a potential phishing scam,

etc.



Though, it is not that if you have trained your staff once, that’s

enough. As, the cybercriminals are evolving and their strategies are

also becoming advanced, thus, the employees should also be aware of

the latest cybersecurity tools and techniques.



How can a business ensure complete cybersecurity?



First of all, one needs to understand that cybersecurity is not just

complex, but it is also evolving. It requires collaborative efforts

all the way through the information system. A few of the common

elements of cyber security may include things like network security,

application security, information security, operational security and

most importantly the educating the workers and users. At the same

time, a company has to have experienced cyber security resources as

well as highly advanced cyber security tools in place. This is

definitely important to make sure that the company can protect itself

from the adverse effect of the cybercrimes.



One size fits all doesn’t work in the world of cybersecurity



As listed in the article, there are plenty of things and factors that

a business has to consider in order to devise a personalized

cybersecurity strategy. Therefore, it is pretty evident that not all

companies can have a similar cybersecurity strategy in place. And,

there is a lot of investment of time and efforts required in order to

ensure that a company is protected from the attacks.



Also, the kind of cybercrimes are also increasing, and the

cybercriminals are becoming smarter and smarter. Thus, the cyber

strategies have to also evolve with time, and become better and better

in order to prevent the attacks from happening. Though, a business

might not even need one kind of a cybersecurity service or, at times,

not just one vendor can offer all the services. At the end of the day,

cybersecurity is a collective effort of each and everyone that is

involved with the company.

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Every Company’s Cyber Security Requirements Aren’t the Same! Destry Winant (Jul 10)

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