As the technology sector has experienced several advancements in recent years, cyber-attacks have continued to improve and become more sophisticated. The tools available to cybercriminals to perpetrate malicious deeds have become more developed. In short, there has been an increase in phishing, malware infections, and DDoS attacks.
During the period of internet adoption, companies could simply install a firewall, buy an antivirus program and consider the appsec area of their cybersecurity complete. Today, with the way security breaches have become widespread, even the most secured networks may still contain weaknesses.
6 in 10 SMBs worldwide experienced at least one cyberattack between 2020 and 2021. This high percentage of attacks requires firms to be on their guard.
What is a cybersecurity strategy?
A cybersecurity strategy is a framework designed to enhance your firm’s cybersecurity. It utilizes a thorough methodology to create an ordered list of protocols to ensure your digital security.
A cybersecurity plan contains the duties of the employees in a firm and defines their digital security responsibilities. The strategy usually outlines the actions to be carried out if a cybersecurity incident happens and an approximate response.
The ideal cybersecurity plan needs to be dynamic and not static. In essence, it needs to recognize the fact that internet threats never stay the same and are constantly transforming with technological advancements. This way, your plan would be better suited to adapt to cybersecurity trends.
A great cybersecurity strategy is meant to align with your business goals. Thus, your business plan can seamlessly work with the cybersecurity strategy to enhance firm efficiency.
Benefits of cybersecurity strategy implementation
Here are some benefits of cybersecurity strategy implementation:
Better analysis of business risk
The avenues for businesses to experience cyberattacks have significantly increased in recent years. That’s because many organizations have shifted operations to cloud storage services. They utilize IoT devices and heavily rely on smartphone technology. Hence, firms have to be more conscious of digital security.
One of cybersecurity’s most crucial aspects is understanding and analyzing the threat landscape. When a cybersecurity strategy is planned, it allows the firm to evaluate the threat environment and understand how well the organization performs regarding digital security.
Once you understand the areas where you’re susceptible, you can make the necessary security patches. Although digital threats can never be eliminated, it reduces your organization’s risk exposure.
Prompts organizations to be active on the cybersecurity end
The fact remains that businesses need to always expect cybersecurity attacks at all times. More than 60% of SMBs fell victim to cyberattacks in 2020 and 2021 because they’re lax on cybersecurity measures.
Several firms think that because they’re not as big as other organizations, cybercriminals never focus on them. However, the opposite is the case since hackers love to attack businesses of any size with many vulnerabilities.
Some ways organizations can be active on the cybersecurity end are to perform penetration testing and security scans to discover defects that can make the network susceptible to cyberattacks.
Detecting cyber threats early
IT teams are better equipped when they pinpoint possible threats early. Just as cybercriminals have continued to purchase better tools to breach organizational security, IT teams must stay ahead of the curve to counter these measures.
Establishing a cybersecurity strategy is crucial since it allows the early detection of cyber threats. It’s just like a software team discovering a malicious code or security bug in a database. The solution would be quicker before any damage can be done. With a digital security plan, any threats or malicious codes that pop up will be sufficiently dealt with in due time.
Instant response to a cybersecurity incident
Many organizations have accepted that no matter how strong their cybersecurity level is, there’s a chance of getting hacked. At some point, there could be a lapse in security. If it happened to big companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Equifax, it could happen to anyone.
When you develop a cybersecurity plan, the course of action taken during a cyberattack will be outlined. Every team member would know precisely how to react and their responsibilities regarding the cybersecurity incident.
Technological advancement has been largely beneficial to humans, but it has come with an associated drawback which is sophisticated hacking tools. Establishing a cybersecurity strategy helps firms to understand business risk better, respond quickly to a cybersecurity incident, and detect cyber threats early.