Cyber crime is an industry that is growing steadily and growing daily. These heightened threats do not just affect giant corporations; small and medium-sized businesses are equally at risk. Additionally, the costs of breaches are higher for smaller operations. As these attacks escalate, businesses of all sizes and across all industries are prioritizing cybersecurity. At AIS, we feel there is essentially a three-step process to improve cybersecurity efforts: assess, plan and execute.
Security Assessment
Before you can create the solution, you must identify the problem. A security assessment analyzes your organization’s cybersecurity landscape in its entirety, locating pain points and potential vulnerabilities. As your organization changes, your cybersecurity environment shifts. Because of this, it is important to regularly (annually, if possible) complete a security assessment with an outside IT consultant. The consultant can offer you an objective evaluation of your business’s security strengths and weaknesses.
Managed Security Program
Once you have completed a security assessment, that information can then be used to create the solution: a managed security program. A managed security program addresses and eliminates the vulnerabilities you have just identified. Your managed security provider utilizes leading industry tools, technology and expertise to build a program specifically catered to your security needs with services such as 24/7/365 monitoring, incident response, managed backup and recovery, patch management and security intelligence reporting. A managed security program allows you to shift to a proactive cybersecurity approach, anticipate problems before they take place and build a robust, individualized defense system. For more on the benefits of managed security click here.
Onboarding, Security Training and Compliance Management
For effective cybersecurity, every member of your organization must adhere to your managed security program and adopt best security practices. An IT consultant and managed security provider can foster a regulatory risk-aware culture with onboarding, security training and compliance management. They can educate employees and internal teams concerning the security regulations and policies that apply to their responsibilities. With ongoing training, all of your employees will develop an understanding of cybersecurity and adhere to consistent, regulated practices, eliminating further risks and vulnerabilities.
With these three simple principles—assess, plan and execute—your business can enhance cybersecurity to face the growing threat of breach. However, don’t take on the time-consuming, extensive responsibilities of cybersecurity alone. An IT consultant and managed security provider can take on all of those responsibilities and apply their skills and expertise to safeguarding your business. Contact AIS today to start the process and schedule a security assessment.