Technology has been changing life as we know it for years. Information and resources are more available than ever. People can use all sorts of devices for both their personal and work needs.
However, all these benefits also come with risks. Networks, personal AND corporate, are facing more risk now that people can take their work or business anywhere they want.
Cybercriminals use different methods to get to their targets such as phishing, malware, ransomware attacks, and more. These things do not only pose a risk to individuals, but also to platforms, economies, and even governments!
Hacking methods develop along with new technologies, so both businesses and individuals need to think of better ways to secure data. Most businesses invest in defensive cybersecurity which is designed to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data. This strategy is better than just installing antivirus software and then calling it a day, but it is not enough considering the more sophisticated ways cybercriminals target their victims these days.
Improving Cybersecurity Through Cyber-Resilience
As mentioned previously, phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks can put entire economies (consumers and businesses), governments, and more at risk if not handled properly.
Although the advancement of technology has brought so much convenience and comfort to everyone, it also means more resources for cybercriminals. That said, simply having cybersecurity tools in place is no longer enough to keep private and sensitive data safe.
To further improve cybersecurity, individuals and companies should work on improving their cyber-resilience as well.
How to Achieve Cyber-Resiliency?
Cyber-resiliency starts with perfecting the basics of cybersecurity. You need to understand cybersecurity very well. It means being great at finding and fixing vulnerabilities, detecting and mitigating threats, and educating employees on how to contribute to defending the company network. Keep in mind that cybersecurity is an ongoing process, not a one-time thing that you only think about once a year.
Building cyber-resiliency involves integrating the concept of cybersecurity into every part of the business. You need to have network security in mind from business process mapping to planning service availability to choosing your third-party vendors or partners.
Nowadays, being targeted by cybercriminals is not a matter of if, it is now a matter of When. Cyber-resiliency will help the business limit the impact of a cyberattack on the company brand. It means protecting the business from breaching finance, legal, and customer obligations.
Creating a Framework for Cyber-Resilience
Building cyber-resiliency ensures that a company can remain operational while suffering minimal impact from an attack.
As good as that sounds, there is no sure way to say that your “cyber-resilience is enough”. It is why focusing on building a sound foundation of cybersecurity is an important step.
Cybersecurity is all about defending your network and data, while cyber-resilience is about prevention and bouncing back.
Although there is no one way to create a framework or establish a way to measure cyber-resiliency– most companies use maturity models to guide their steps.
A maturity model allows companies to assess where they are on the path to improving their critical business processes. It also allows businesses to determine the most effective next steps for the company.
For instance, a cybersecurity maturity model helps companies to assess if their cybersecurity program is adequate. It also helps businesses to identify areas that need improvement to deal with the continually evolving cyber threat environment.
The cybersecurity maturity model, when implemented correctly, can assist organizations in improving their cybersecurity posture, developing a roadmap that prioritizes improvements, and assisting IT teams in effectively communicating with senior management to secure support for essential investments.
The cybersecurity maturity model does not only cover a company’s ability to respond and recover, but it also urges the company to focus on how quickly the company can recover and evaluate what they prioritize.
Keep in mind that the maturity model serves as a guide and not an absolute law when it comes to building a cyber-resiliency framework. Your approach should be adaptable, flexible, and ever-improving. Your framework should help the company, its leaders, and other members to understand what cyber-resilience is and define their roles in achieving it.
Steps to Achieving Cyber-Resilience
Here are the steps to start building cyber-resilience to protect your corporate network and your brand:
Maintain good system hygiene.
Establish and implement a proactive and systematic approach to standard system hygiene management.
Develop a cyber-resiliency plan.
Examine potential attacks and cyberattack events, then create a team that will carry out certain tasks to ensure that the company can bounce back after an attack.
Study potential risks and threat patterns.
Map out the risk profile for patterns and attack modes to help you develop a customized approach to defending firm assets.
Assess, measure, and evaluate.
As mentioned previously, there are various ways of evaluating your cyber-resiliency plan depending on what type of framework you have in place. You can set goals to help you measure your success.
Invest in mitigating risks.
Invest in risk mitigation strategies to safeguard firm assets that are most vulnerable.
Get started.
Finally, get your plan started. Implement cybersecurity and cyber-resiliency methods throughout the company wherever applicable.
The Final Takeaway
Why should you care about cyber-resilience? There are many things that can go wrong once a cyberattack takes place, it is especially bad for businesses since they are not only holding personal data but also the sensitive information of their customers and clients as well.
The security landscape is constantly changing along with the advancements in technology. There needs to be a flexible, adaptable, and resilient cybersecurity and cyber-resilience plan in place to ensure business continuity in times of turmoil.
A cyber-resilient company can experience several benefits such as:
- Establishing an efficient way of prioritizing and responding to risks.
- Easily complying with regulatory and governmental oversight, which means reducing risk for lawsuits and fewer penalties.
- Reducing chances of a security breach.
- Improve your reputation by gaining the trust of your customers, clients, and partners.
Do not settle with just a defense system in place, you need to hope for the best but prepare for the worse. Cybersecurity is not enough nowadays, build up your cyber-resilience now.