A question of strategy

Cyber security risks impact every enterprise however, the ways in which they are affected are different, as is the way in which they develop and deliver their cyber security strategy. Cyber security has few, if any, one-size-fits-all solutions. Each organisation is unique, as are its needs and goals.

What are some of the key questions business managers, owners and directors should consider when developing a cyber security strategy?

• How do we align cyber security with business goals?
• Will this strategy help us to understand the likely investment required to manage our cyber security risks over the next 3 years?
• Do we have the expertise to manage our cyber risks?
• What cyber expertise do we require, and what do we have?
• What is our plan to develop or source the skills that we need?
• What cyber security work should we keep in-house and what should we outsource – is some specialist assistance required on an ad hoc or temporary basis?
• As a business manager, owner, or director do I possess the right level of proficiency to be accountable for the cyber security decisions that I make? – if not how do I address this situation.
• What training do we have in place for staff on our security policies and cyber threats? - to ensure we have, or are developing, a healthy cyber security culture.

Kaon Security assist organisations to develop their cyber security strategy tailored to suit their unique operational realities. The strategy can be developed at a high level, or with additional detail included in the strategy implementation plan/roadmap. Both high level and detailed versions should address the unique needs of the organisation.

Contact us to discuss how we can assist with developing a cyber security strategy.

 

Click below to download our Cyber Security Strategy Development Whitepaper.

Cyber Security Strategy Development

 

Discussing Cyber Resilience

Cyber resilience is a term in IT that refers to an organisation's ability to protect core services and prevent issues before they occur.  This will involve identifying risks and vulnerabilities associated with any services that support critical business processes, and conducting risk assessments on the impact of an outage. Once these are understood, steps are then taken to mitigate these risks, for example removing single points of failure in cloud infrastructure by adding load-balancing capabilities.

While many business leaders will be familiar with business continuity planning, having dealt with physical disruptions during their careers, cyber resilience may be less tangible for some, yet it’s a significant aspect of an organisation's overall well-being.

Some key points to impart when considering and discussing the importance of business continuity and cyber resilience planning are:

Critical asset protection

Business continuity and cyber resilience efforts should prioritise the identification and safeguarding of critical assets such as data, systems and processes to ensure continuous operations.

Downtime and recovery

The potential financial and reputational impact of downtime caused by disruptions or cyber incidents needs to be discussed and quantified – how would revenues, customer service and the organisation’s reputation be impacted?

A well-prepared business continuity and cyber resilience plan should help an organisation regain control quickly and recover after an incident by minimising downtime, financial losses, and ensuring a quick return to normal operations.

Reputation and trust

In their brand strategy research and insights Gartner state – “83% of consumers refuse to do business with brands they do not trust. To build trust, brands must focus on exhibiting transparency, warmth, honesty, and reliability”. Business continuity and cyber resilience are critical in maintaining customer trust and confidence. Similarly, a breach or disruption can result in negative publicity, eroding the trust of customers, partners, and stakeholders. Planning mitigates these risks and aids reputation management.

Compliance

With business continuity and cyber resilience measures in place meeting legal and regulatory requirements should be more straightforward, limiting the imposition of financial penalties, legal consequences and reputational damage for non-compliance.

Third-party relationships

Business operations are interconnected, especially in terms of third-party relationships, therefore business continuity and cyber resilience planning should extend to vendors and partners to prevent supply chain disruptions.

Being prepared

Whilst there is an investment required for the development of strategies for business continuity and cyber resilience, ultimately a resilient business is one that can adapt more readily to change.

Employees play a key role in many aspects of maintaining cyber resilience. Staff should be educated on cyber security best practices, the part they play in planning and continual improvement, plus the importance of reporting potential threats promptly.

Contact us to discuss how Policy Management as a Service can assist in developing cyber resilience.

 

Click below to obtain a copy of the whitepaper - Implementing Effective IT Security Policies.

Implementing Effective IT Security Policies