We now know that, in the digital age in which we live, your cyber security must take pole position in the security concerns for your organization. We also know that due to ‘hacking’ becoming easier due to the increased use of tech in the workplace – along with the outbreak of Covid-19 – that the likelihood of your organization becoming a victim of an attack has risen exponentially.
In the previous blog in the series we explored some the most common types of cyber threats to your organization. We will now take a look at some of the impacts of those threats on your business and some of the defenses that can be put in place to make sure that you are as well defended as possible to combat them.
Defenses that will help you tackle the threats
There are a few broad areas that you need to consider to ensure you have comprehensive cyber defenses within your business. We will now segment these into three distinct areas, all of which require a very different approach to ensure success:
Technical
There are many hardware and technical defenses on the market designed to combat any and every type of cyber attack there is which exist to secure networks and end user devices (We will explore these in more detail in the next blog in the series.) These technical controls – if implemented and managed correctly – should not just defend your systems from what is trying to get into your network but should also monitor and protect what is leaving your own technological landscape.
You can take a step beyond the ‘normal’ cyber security tools and go one step further to protect your systems (such as endpoint detection and response) – in turn, giving you a chance to identify and kill breaches in their tracks. This level of defense will depend on your discretion and decision as to the amount of protection your organization needs.
Policy
The technical controls that you can implement are limited. Any restrictions to your systems must allow your users to not only be able to complete their daily tasks to the best of their ability and with as little interference as possible but also ensure they are confident in what they are using.
To ensure the most effective, compliant, and security minded approach when using the technology you have provided, you must implement stringent policies within your organization to guarantee you mitigate as many cyber threats as possible.
Education
Following on from the way policies direct your users to utilize IT to its full potential in the most effective way possible, educating them is the only way to guarantee that your ‘human firewall’ is completely familiar with their role as your organization’s first and last line of defense against cyber criminals.
There is no point in spending lots of money on the most cutting edge – industry leading – technical defenses, and implementing the most stringent policies, if your users are not adequately educated and alert not only to the various type of threats that they may face but also know the prominent position that they occupy in your organization’s defense against cyber threats.
In the following and last blog in the series we will explore the cyber security technical measures that will ensure that you are defended against even the most sophisticated of attacks.
Guaranteeing you are cyber secure
By trusting us with your IT needs we can guarantee that your organization is ready for anything that cyber criminals can throw at it. Our experience in working with small businesses in Ontario and the Great Toronto Area allows us to ensure that you can increase revenue, secure your data, always operate at peak performance, and – most importantly – operate in the most secure way possible. Contact us now to find out what else we can do to improve your IT landscape and bring you even more benefits from your IT going forward.
