(The More Things Change), the More They Stay the Same

Over the past two years, companies shifted their business models from survival mode back toward pre-pandemic operations. With the world in constant flux, however, it's difficult to know exactly what will happen in 2023. 

Over the past two years, companies shifted their business models from survival mode back toward pre-pandemic operations. With the world in constant flux, however, it's difficult to know exactly what will happen in 2023.

We believe, however, that cybersecurity will become a priority in business operations. After high-profile data breaches at Google, Twitter, Uber, LinkedIn, and Rockstar Games, among others, it seems like no company is immune to cybersecurity attacks.

Cyberthieves are getting more sophisticated and cyberthreats are becoming more aggressive every day. Desperate for cash and resources, cyberthieves will continue to target small businesses who often don’t have sufficient cybersecurity systems in place. Don’t be fooled in false confidence, however. High profile businesses, with insufficient or lapses in their cybersecurity systems are also vulnerable.

Going into 2023, businesses must take steps to develop security programming or evaluate their existing programming and ‍make necessary changes. So, as you conduct year end analyses, make sure you factor in the state of your business’s cybersecurity programming. If it isn’t already, cyber protection should become a "must-have," not a "nice-to-have," component of your business plan. As technology evolves, so does cybersecurity’s ability to protect a business from cybersecurity attacks and threats.

Company Leadership is Key

In order to build a cybersecurity program, there must be a shift by business leaders, and in some cases, members of the Board of Directors, toward ownership or buy-in of the program. Decision makers must view cybersecurity as central to business operations and evolve and build current and future business models to reflect this.

This is vital for a successful program. If members of leadership don’t support cybersecurity practices, there is little to no chance that employees will.

Business leaders cannot protect their organization if they don’t know where the security lapses/gaps are and what is needed.

It’s normal to compare your business operations with a competitor of similar size, location and assets. When it comes to cybersecurity, however, it’s important to develop and implement a plan based on the company’s individual security needs. Every organization is different, and will have different strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and areas in its cybersecurity programming requiring help.

Think of cybersecurity as building a house. You must have a secure foundation in place before you build on top of it. Security should utilize multiple layers of prevention measures to safeguard assets. This includes defining policies and procedures, continuously testing them, educating staff, and measuring effectiveness for improved security operations.

Building the correct foundation may mean going back to the basics.

Questions to ask yourself:

• How many employees need access?
• Who needs access to what? (superusers, zero-exploit, tiers?)
• What, if any, state/federal/industry specific compliance requirements do we have to meet?
• Does our insurance provider have any requirements?
• What data do we handle? 

Note: Do NOT confuse regulatory compliance with security. In addition to regulatory frameworks, organizations must implement additional cybersecurity systems that specifically address the vulnerabilities facilitating data breaches. 

Along with a solid foundation, good policies and procedures help ensure that security programming is not only up-to-date, using the latest technologies where needed, but effective in safeguarding data and minimizing cyberthreats.

Make sure those policies and procedures include, among other practices:

• Annual Penetration Tests
• Security Audits
• Updated Incident Response Plans
• Employee Cybersecurity Trainings
• CISO/V-CISO 

These regular practices, when built on top of a solid foundation, will make for a strong security program.

It all comes back to cybersecurity. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Does your company have the right cybersecurity plan in place? Contact us for more information on how our customizable services may help protect your business.

Posted by Katie Cassens