In today’s world, when almost everything is digitally interconnected, organizations are being vulnerable to cybercriminals as they have unprecedented opportunities to commit cyber crimes and interrupt the business. Businesses are being technology-dependent to provide better service and products to their client and consumers. State-of-the-art technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), broadband connectivity, cryptocurrencies, Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT), Internet of Things (IoT), etc., provide organizations with an immense opportunity for innovation and development, yet they also increase the chance of cyber-attacks. The last decade has evident multiple instances of security incidents in different organizations in which cybercriminals took advantage of those cutting edge technologies.
All these recent cyberattacks have influenced the increase in investments in cybersecurity solutions as well as cybersecurity consulting. If you want to embrace cutting edge technology without cybersecurity risks, it is good to consult cyber security solution providers for appropriate cyber-defense solutions for your organization.
‘Prevention is better than cure.’ So, you need to proactively look for all the vulnerabilities of your systems and technologies in use to protect the business from cybersecurity threats.
Reasons behind increased cybercrime
There are multiple reasons that make it quite tricky for cybersecurity professionals to detect and address modern cyberattacks. Firstly, nowadays, cybersecurity professionals have to deal with a vast spectrum of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities. Implementing digital infrastructure and cutting edge technologies in every aspect of the modern enterprise environment has made it complicated for cyber security experts to seal every loose end of the novel and complex IT infrastructure. For instance, the amplified use of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has introduced many different types of cyberattacks like evasion attacks, data poisoning, and so on. Such attacks were almost unknown before the incorporation of AI/ML in enterprise environments.
Another vital reason behind the spread of cybercrime in recent times is the intelligence of hackers, who are always be able to find innovative ways to invade digital infrastructures and launch cyber-attacks. Now, the hackers are being creative to make enterprises fulfil their demands like they invented the ransomware attacks to yield monetary benefits through putting enterprises in ethical and/or technical dilemmas. Apart from different malware attacks, cybercriminals are using phishing attacks, Denial-of-Service (DOS) attacks, SQL injections, password attacks, and so on to threat the enterprises through a vulnerability in their network or IT infrastructure. Sometimes, it is really challenging for enterprises to be pre-assume all the vulnerable points in a system to stop cybercriminals from penetrating their systems. Therefore, hackers are getting ways to penetrate your infrastructure through those vulnerable parts. In this context, organizations must invest in developing better cyber protection. They much consult cybersecurity experts to have state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions and cybersecurity services.
How to implement cyber-resilience
To keep your business safe from cybercriminals, you need to boost cyber-resilience in your hyperconnected and ever developing digital environment. You can consult your IT infrastructure consulting services partner and try to implement the following cybersecurity practices.
Risk Assessment
You need to start with a risk assessment for successful cybersecurity planning and implementation of suitable cyber-defence infrastructure. A proper risk assessment is essential to identify the assets that are at risk, including the probability of getting hacked or infected and the expected impact of each risk factor. So, the outcome of the risk assessment is vital. It helps to prioritize the security investments and reduce the risks with the highest livelihood and impacts on organizations. Therefore, risk assessment is crucial for risk management and assists organizations in proper budgeting for cyber-resilience.
Employee education
Nowadays, when technologies continuously update, there is a chance of a skills gap in advanced digital technologies like AI, IoT, BigData, etc. This kind of knowledge gap can lead to cybersecurity risk. So, organizations must try to improve the security knowledge of their staff through upskilling and regular reskilling programs. You can also take the help of your managed IT services in educating your employees.
Up-to-date knowledge bases
Risk assessment and corresponding mitigation processes can be automated and made more efficient based on the use of knowledge bases that contain information about known threats and vulnerabilities. Instead of trying to identify specific attack patterns, knowledge bases provide you readily available database about the characteristics of certain attacks and suitable measures to mitigate those attacks. So, it is essential for organizations to deploy and maintain knowledge bases with the most updated security information.
Advanced tools and automation
It is suitable for organizations to incorporate an automated system to monitor the constantly increasing number of the IT assets like desktops, laptops, software programs, or any other digital touchpoints. In this respect, technologies like AI/ML can help you to boost automation and enable you to implement better security monitoring tools for your IT infrastructure.
Consider the human factors
When developing cybersecurity solutions for your organization, never forget to consider the human factors as well. To have a better cyber defence, your security solutions must be simple to follow, user friendly, and effective as well, in order to be well-accepted by end-users. This is particularly crucial for solutions that address your audience (especially non-tech savvy ones), such as solutions of home users, public administration, etc. If the security measure is too complicated, it can confuse your end-users and even make them reluctant about your services.
Conclusion
As you can see in this blog, cybersecurity is crucial for every organization dealing with digital assets and using cutting edge technologies. Cybersecurity of your organization is a huge concern of your Chief Information Officer (CIO). If needed, you can also go for hiring a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) through a reliable managed IT services provider.
Your CIOs and/or vCIOs are the right person to help you develop the most effective cyber security solutions that can secure your essential assets against all threats causing damage to your organization. The selection of appropriate cybersecurity solutions requires a deep understanding of your organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure and challenges, plus a good knowledge about the offering of the cybersecurity industry.
