Check Your Cyber Security Or Your Business Will Fail

Is cyber security your priority? Your grandpa must have told you once, “Keep your Friends close, but your enemy closer!” What does it signify? Two things: know who your enemies are and keep close track on them.

When I see the present business dynamics run on the cyber space, grandpa’s philosophy holds perfectly good for the cyber criminals.

While cyber crime typically refers to use of technology and equipments to breach security layers and gather sensitive and confidential data, there is someone behind the scene to perform it. You may be reminded of Edward Snowden.

Companies, mostly do not recognize such insider threats, do not even strengthen their cyber security or mobile security measures to crack down any such attempts well before.

Awareness does not mean Prevention

Obviously, the insider threats are limited in numbers and stand negligibly in compared to the overall strength of the workforce.

Though, preventive measures must be well in place and monitored very closely, employee awareness must not be overlooked.

As there is a human behind the technology and equipment to commit cyber crime, so also, there are human behind the preventive mechanisms to check it; so, why not train your work force to become human sensors.

Check that the Security Assurances are Assured

Check on the aspects of security assurances that will assure that your security assurances are assured. Seems to be ‘playing with words’. Let us clarify these.

Only when you can check that the measures taken are gathering meaningful information and data as planned, then you can only justify the feasibility and success of the program and plan out the next roadmap.

Put People into Life-like Situation

Sometimes, it is necessary to put people in a security crisis to let them learn from the situation. Plan intelligently to break a security rule and show them the consequence of it; however, select such a rule that will not damage while exercising the event.

However, this practice must not be a routine, else, people do fail to realize the lessons learned from it. Communicate with them and exchange each other’s viewpoints on the practice.

Behavioral Change should be the Ultimate Aim

Most of the security awareness programs are run as ‘To Do’ tasks. They are conducted because they are planned.

At best, employees sit for two plus hours watching a PowerPoint presentation half-heartedly and doodling with the notepad and pencil provided during the session. This hardly results in behavioral change.

The security awareness program must be a plan concerning the ground facts, well thought and executed.

Together You Can Secure IT

Most of the departments in a company, such as the quality compliance, legal, human resources, physical security, marketing etc. share a mutual interest and need common resources and funding.

Together these departments can establish a better security infrastructure.

Measure W.R.T. Time

Security awareness and successful implementation is a well-defined roadmap. Instead of taking one aspect of security area every month, it is wise to plan multiple topics in a quarter and cover them simultaneously.

Employees feel that they are connected and they engage themselves with the learning process.

Move with the Change

Many great leaders and business owners fail to walk abreast with technology. This is again revising the same old concern of not realizing the potential threat sources.

While technology is hanging at a faster rate, it is imperative to change your cyber security policies, implementation, and monitoring mechanism time to time.

Potential small and media sized businesses become the easy and soft targets for hackers, hence it is essential for them to evaluate their total IT budget and assign a significant portion to security assurance.

Believe in the Human Power

Most of the people implement a security set up and forget it thereafter thinking that their cyber strategy is unbreakable.

However, tools cannot track certain aspects. Issues such as, employee performance, behavioral issues, issues with peer group, disciplinary actions etc. must be monitored by managers and employees.

Cyber intrusion and security challenges are going to remain the prime concern for corporate at all level and even independent organizations, and government, where data and information are saved and used.

Proper security measures and your grandpa’s biggest advice will definitely save you.

Do not ever take cyber security implementation just another training program. This is investment of a lifetime.

My Opinion
I simply would like to put this point forward – whatever be the size of your business, do allocate a specific budgetary amount for implementing cyber security crimes.

Many companies get cheated just because they do not identify the threat and the attackers.

Hence, be smart and keep your enemy closer.

Be proactive! Everyone knows it; smarter ones practice it.

What About You?
What are your cyber security concerns? You must have put some steps towards cyber security; however, have you yet identified the threat points?

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About the Author
Mohit Aggarwal is a seasoned blog writer and technology enthusiast. He has been contributing to several blogs on topics like technology, cloud computing, social media, internet marketing, travel etc. for past couple of years.