With so much of our personal and professional lives bleeding into the world wide web, it’s vital to take steps to protect our information from hackers and cybercriminals. While effective cybersecurity strategies can involve any number of strategic security components, it’s important to tailor your approach to fit your specific business or organisational needs. In doing so, you can ensure that your devices and data will be as safe as possible when accessing the web.
It’s worth noting first, however, that no two users (or businesses) are exactly alike. What works for one company might not necessarily work for another. Tailoring your approach to fit your specific personal and professional needs will help to ensure that your data – be it personal, professional, or organisational – stays well-protected. Additionally, a customised approach will allow you to keep up with the latest threats and adapt your strategy as needed.
Here are some key considerations you’ll need to make and questions you’ll need to answer when developing your own effective cybersecurity strategy.
Utilise Smart Security Solutions
Any organisation that wants to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to cybersecurity, needs to consider utilising security solutions like NordVPN’s Threat Protection as part of their strategy.
Here are three reasons why utilising security solutions can be beneficial for organisations:
- Internet security software helps you identify vulnerabilities – in order to protect your systems from attack, you need to know exactly where they’re vulnerable. By regularly assessing your threat landscape, you can identify potential weaknesses before a hacker or other malevolent third party does.
- Cybersecurity solutions keep you up-to-date on the latest threats – the landscape of malware and cyber threats are constantly changing by its nature. By staying up-to-date on the latest threats, you can ensure that your systems are protected against the most dangerous, rapidly evolving attacks.
- Security solutions help you respond quickly to incidents – even with a strong and proactive cybersecurity strategy in place, there’s always a chance that an attacker will find a way in. When that happens, it’s important to be able to respond quickly and effectively. By incorporating threat protection into your cybersecurity strategy, you can be sure that you’re prepared for anything.
What Type of Data Does Your Business Store?
Another great method for ensuring which cybersecurity methods are best suited for your business, is assessing the type of data that your business seeks to keep secure, and what this data can reveal about your company as well as its client base. Whilst transactional data may reveal company earnings over customer details, metadata attached to this data could tell another story, potentially placing your customers at risk of falling victim to hackers.
Modern business owners may find that different security measures will need to be put in place depending on the sensitivity of the data that needs to be protected. For example, if your business deals with personal financial information, you will need to take extra steps to ensure that this data is well-protected, as data leaks could result in mass profit loss, a hit to your company’s reputation, and perhaps even legal action in the absolute worst case scenario.
How is That Data Accessed and Used?
One particularly effective method for keeping your company’s sensitive data safe from unauthorised viewers is to implement security measures such as multi-factor authentication (or ‘MFA’) and file encryption. MFA reduces the likelihood of unauthorised third parties being able to access sensitive business accounts and the data they may contain, as third parties won’t be able to gain access by just unearthing passwords alone.
Another way to protect data is to simply limit access to it. For example, you may want to restrict access to sensitive information to authorised personnel only. Reducing the number of individuals within your organisation that are able to access sensitive accounts, will naturally ensure that those accounts are less likely to be susceptible to infiltration by hackers.
What Are the Potential Consequences of a Data Breach?
Personal information, financial data, and trade secrets are all vulnerable to infiltration, and the loss of access to this information can lead to identity theft, fraud, and potentially even damage to your company’s reputation. A data breach can also damage an organisation’s reputation and lead to the loss of customers and business partners.
Who is Responsible for Managing and Protecting Your Data?
There are a number of different stakeholders who have a role to play in data security, from individual users to large corporations. Each stakeholder has their own unique set of responsibilities when it comes to data security.
For example, individuals have a responsibility to choose strong passwords and to keep their personal information private. On the other hand, corporations have a responsibility to develop robust security systems and to train their employees on proper data handling procedures.
Simply put, developing an effective cybersecurity strategy requires a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder.
What Policies and Procedures Do You Need to Ensure Compliance With Industry Regulations?
Cybersecurity is governed by a complex web of laws and guidelines, so it is essential to have a team of experts who can keep track of the latest changes. Businesses should develop comprehensive policies and procedures for managing cybersecurity risks that commonly occur in your industry.
For example, if you work in an industry that involves the handling of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or medical records, you will naturally need to take extra steps to safeguard this highly sensitive personal data. This may include encrypting your data or using additional security measures. These measures should also be updated regularly, both to adhere with industry recommendations as well as to respond to changes or developments in cyber threats.
A good place to start is by ensuring that your company ticks all the boxes on security models like the Essential Eight Maturity Model, developed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, or other models that are relevant to your specific sector.
How Will You Train and Educate Your Employees on Cybersecurity Best Practices?
When developing your cybersecurity strategy, it’s important to consider how you will isolate and contain incidents, identify and mitigate the risks, and restore normal business operations. By taking these steps, you can help ensure that your business is prepared to handle a security incident in an efficient and effective manner.
With this in mind, cybersecurity training should be ongoing and cover a variety of foundational topics, including social engineering, password security, and spotting phishing emails, alongside organisational protocols. Providing a strong foundation in cybersecurity basics can help your staff develop critical thinking skills surrounding security implementation.
Knowing what to look for can also help employees recognise and thus, report any suspicious activity. By educating and empowering employees, businesses can go a long way towards protecting themselves from cyber-attacks.
How Will You Stay Up-to-date on the Latest Security Threats and Vulnerabilities?
One way to stay up-to-date on the latest security threats and vulnerabilities is to subscribe to a reliable security newsletter. This will provide you with regular updates on the latest security news, allowing you to quickly identify any new risks and take steps to protect your business.
In addition to this, attending cybersecurity conferences and networking with other security professionals can also help you stay abreast of the latest developments in the field. You should encourage both management and employees to attend cybersecurity skills-building events or even take courses on or off the clock.
What is Your Budget for Cybersecurity?
Finally, one of the most important considerations is your budget for cybersecurity. How much can you afford to spend on cyber defences? What are your priorities when it comes to cybersecurity? Answering these questions can help you develop a realistic and achievable cybersecurity strategy.
Developing your own cybersecurity strategy may seem like a daunting task, but it’s essential for protecting yourself in today’s digital world. By taking the time to assess your risks and develop a tailored approach, you can keep yourself safe from identity theft, data breaches, and other cyber threats.
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