How to Start Securing Your Business

By now you likely know, it isn’t just large companies that have to implement rigorous processes and policies to keep their business secure and safe from a cybersecurity attack. Keeping your data secure is critical to the success of your business. 

At first it may feel overwhelming to get started and you might feel unprepared. As a business leader – you aren’t alone. In fact, 68% of business leaders feel their cybersecurity risks are increasing, yet 54% of companies say their IT departments are not sophisticated enough to handle advanced cyberattacks.

A culture of security starts at the top and as a business leader, you have an obligation to your customers, employees, partners and vendors to keep their data safe. Here are a few of the top ways you can start securing your business today to help prevent a cyberattack and stay secure.

1. Identify who is responsible. Often IT and Cybersecurity get lumped together and many businesses try to keep cybersecurity inhouse, which pushes their biggest threat onto their own IT Team. Cybersecurity should not be your IT Team’s burden. You need to identify another person to solely focus their efforts on cybersecurity.
2. Understand your current vulnerabilities and security gaps – If you want your business to succeed in improving security you need to get a baseline of where your business stands and what threats you currently face. You can do this by having a Penetration Test or a Network Vulnerability Scan completed on your computer systems to evaluate and identify weaknesses on your network where cybercriminals could potentially get in.
3. Update Your Systems and Software (and keep them updated!) – This is something businesses (and employees) often delay. The cost of updating a server might seem too high, you have a legacy application that requires an older version of software, or you just keep hitting “remind me tomorrow” you are leaving putting your business at risk. Cybercriminals are constantly finding vulnerabilities in programs to allow them to break into your system. Updates often provide fixes to these vulnerabilities to keep your system secure. When your systems aren’t up to date, you risk missing out on these important security patches. Don’t delay on your updates to conquer this and keep your systems secure.

4. Ensure Employees have Access to a Cybersecurity Training Program – 95% of cyberattacks and breaches are caused by human error. With almost all cybersecurity incidents steaming from one this one common issue, it’s important business leaders strongly consider adopting a cybersecurity training program that is relevant to their needs. The first step towards creating a culture of security is through education, training and awareness.
5. Implement Zero Trust Strategies – Protecting your business in the hybrid work environment requires a new approach to cybersecurity. Zero Trust is a strategy businesses implement to control access across their entire network. With this model in place employees and their devices are verified each time they request access to company data.

This may seem like a lot to do but it is worth the effort to appoint a dedicated person or team to be responsible for cybersecurity, get an understanding of your current threats, build out new security controls, and train your employees so they are aware of current threats – all while keeping your systems updated. 

If your organization is ready to make the necessary modifications and advancements to keep up with the current threat landscape, the next step is to contact a cybersecurity firm, like Convergence Networks. We will work with you to navigate your current environment and work towards building a secure tomorrow for your business.

You can also download our Cyber Hygiene Checklist for a detailed list of items you should be considering when starting your cybersecurity journey. 

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Cybersecurity attacks are still threatening businesses of all sizes and they continue to grow in complexity and frequency. This makes it harder for businesses to prevent an attack with traditional processes. IBM and Ponemon Institute conducted a study this year which found that the average cost of a data breach rose 13% in the last two years. Those surveyed reported that the average cost to them was $4.35 million. But financial costs is not the only expense of a security breach. With each incident comes the cost of reputational damage as well. Your clients, employees and brand are all automatically put at risk – and they won’t be happy about it.

Even though 95% of cyberattacks and breaches are caused by human error, not all businesses are convinced they need to spend time and resources on a cybersecurity awareness training program. Leaders often think their teams know “enough”, and that staff are smarter than the criminals who are trying to attack.

The truth is – Hackers and cybercriminals know your users are the easiest point of access into your systems. Even though security tools have become more sophisticated, the human element of an attack still exists.  

With almost all cybersecurity incidents steaming from this one common issue of human error, it’s important business leaders strongly consider adopting a cybersecurity training program that is relevant to their needs. Here are just some of the reasons why you need to implement a cybersecurity training program for your business:

• Keep your customers and employees safe – 90% of data breaches along are caused because of a phishing attack. Training can help employees recognize a variety of different phishing attempt methods and teaches them best practices for reporting possible threats, instead of clicking on the link and downloading a malicious file or inputting sensitive information.
• Create a culture of cybersecurity awareness – Building a culture of cybersecurity starts with a training and education plan. Without this first step employees won’t have the confidence to recognizing threats, leaving your business vulnerable to an attack.
• Save time and money – The initial cost of investing in a training program may seem like a lot but compared to the average cost of an attack mentioned above, it is worth the investment. If an attack occurs, your team will have to spend a significant amount of time attempting to repair and mitigate the damage – some that may not be recoverable. Better protection means more time spent on other important tasks.
• Cyber insurance requirements – More and more businesses are looking to cyber insurance to protect themselves from the financial and legal damages of an attack, and more governing bodies are implementing insurance requirements for compliance. However, what businesses often overlook is that they need to prove they offer cybersecurity training to employees. If this requirement isn’t met the company may not qualify for a cyber liability policy.

Whether you want to believe it or not, without a total cybersecurity training program in place your people, your employees become the weakest link in your cybersecurity program. Hackers know this and will take advantage of it.

As a business leader you need to care about cybersecurity for the costs associated with it and the reputation repercussions. To keep your business safe, it is up to you to take action to ensure your teams have the most up-to-date training to recognize threats and protect themselves, and ultimately your business from a cybersecurity incident. You can start by researching cybersecurity training programs, like the tailored program offered by Convergence Networks, and evaluate the best fit for your business.

Want more information? Download our Cybersecurity Training brochure below.

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