Understand the essential best practices for managing cyber risks in the landscape of modern business. From developing a robust cybersecurity strategy to implementing advanced threat detection tools, this article provides valuable insights to safeguard your organization against cyber threats. Stay ahead of the game and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Safeguard your business with these cybersecurity essentials.
The digital age has made it more important than ever for businesses to uphold a standard of cybersecurity that insulates them against the risks that are out there. As the wealth of data that the average business holds grows, hackers become more invested in targeting organisations – nowadays, any company – from the largest enterprise to the smallest business – can fall victim to a cyber-attack. We spoke with a provider of IT support London companies have been using for over a decade to improve their cybersecurity. The company – TechQuarters – discussed the modern cyber risks that business face, and the best practices that they should implement.
Understanding Cyber Risks
Cyber risk refers to the potential damage or harm that can occur when an organisation (or individual) falls victim to a cyber-attack. There are many different types of cyber-attack out there:
- Malware and Ransomware
- Phishing and Social Engineering
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
- Insider Threats
The consequences of a cyber-attack can vary for a business. The most common concerns include financial loss, data loss, theft of intellectual property, operational disruptions and downtime, reputation damage (including loss of customer trust), and legal penalties.
Cybersecurity Best Practices
It is crucial for businesses to prioritize cybersecurity measures to mitigate these consequences and safeguard their assets, operations, and reputation from the growing threat of cyber-attacks. Many businesses partner with MSPs (managed service providers) in order to access the expertise and resources necessary for a modern cybersecurity strategy. The managed IT services London companies receive from TechQuarters, for instance, are built on a variety of robust security principles – below are some examples of these principles:
Develop a Robust Cybersecurity Strategy
A business will never be able to adequately protect themselves against modern cyber risks without a robust strategy drawn out. Some of the key steps to developing an adequate strategy includes:
- Conducting a Risk Assessment – A comprehensive evaluation of an organisation’s systems, applications, infrastructure, and processes. This helps identify any risk factors and areas for improvement.
- Setting Clear Objectives and Goals – Objectives and goals should be defined in response to the risk assessment. Objectives should be clearly defined and measurable. Goals and objectives for security will vary; but may include things like improving employee awareness, or optimising Incident Response (IR) and Business Continuity.
- Defining Roles and Responsibilities – Having clarity and accountability is very important when executing a new cybersecurity strategy. Defining roles and responsibilities drives efficient collaboration and helps manage resource allocation.
Establish Strong Security Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures are the foundation of any effective cybersecurity strategy. Some common and effective policies and procedures that businesses follow include:
- Password and Authentication Policies – Businesses may opt to enforce minimum standards for password length and complexity. They may also enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add a layer of identity-based security.
- Access Control Measures – There are many examples of access control measures that business may choose to implement – these include Least Privilege principles, role-based access control (RBAC). IT support companies have been increasingly prioritizing zero-trust models as the most effective method of access control.
- Data Classification and Encryption – Policies that define the sensitivity and criticality of data help add further security to other facets of business security (such as access control measures).
- Incident Response and Business Continuity – IR and BC plans are essential for guiding a business’ response to security breaches and incidents. It also ensures that business processes and minimum security standards are restored in the least amount of time.
