The world of cybersecurity got significantly more complex in the last decade. With the spread of the internet, we have also witnessed a rise in the number of cyber attacks happening every single day.
However, businesses of all sizes manage to stay afloat by cultivating a security culture. But what does that mean? Let’s talk about the best ways to develop a security culture in your organization.
1. Make Sure Everyone Is On Board
Your organization’s security levels are only as strong as your weakest point. And as always, most cybersecurity mishaps occur due to human error. That’s why it’s paramount to work on cybersecurity awareness while making sure that everyone is in on it.
You can blow your annual budget on phishing training and security drills, but all it takes is one employee to click on a ransomware scam. Hackers rely on people not reading the memos about the latest security threats, so make sure you actually reach your colleagues and teammates.
2. Invest In Cybersecurity Training
Corporate cybersecurity training is a well-established system that allows even the non-tech-savvy people to comprehend the concept. Depending on the size of your organization, you can train your employees to recognize, avoid, or even resolve some cybersecurity issues on their own.
Cybersecurity training does wonders for security awareness because it employs interactive learning methods. On top of that, you can also create fun drills to make people aware of various levels of threats.
3. Identify Your Organization’s Weak Spots
Here comes one of the hardest parts. In order to protect the most valuable assets your organization has, you must first know what they are. But this is easier said than done.
The best way to identify your organization’s weak spots is by performing pen testing, which is when you hire a white-hat hacker to try and break into your system. Their job is to imitate an actual malicious hacker and figure out whether they would be successful in their attack. Pen testing can help you familiarize yourself with areas of your business that need additional cybersecurity protection.
4. Have a Plan If Things Go South
Now that you’ve figured out which part of your organization you need to protect first, create a backup plan to cover it. You’ll have to dig through your most valuable data sets and decide how to protect and recover them in case of a security breach.
Here’s where to start:
- Identify where your data assets lie and start skimming the redundancies;
- Use encryption to protect your network (e.g., a VPN) and a backup (encrypted cloud storage for business);
- After everything is secured and backed up, test everything by simulating a scenario where said data is suddenly unavailable.
5. Testing, Testing, and More Testing
Simulations, emulations, and penetration testing – these are just a few methods you can use to test your organization’s cybersecurity defenses. Now, you probably won’t be able to test everything from within the organization. Get a team of professionals to test your organization’s network (and overall) security.
Make sure to conduct these tests as often as possible because hacking techniques and systems change constantly. In addition to testing your system, you can also test your employees with cybersecurity exercises and scenario simulations.
Security Is About Being Proactive!
Once your organization’s security walls are breached, there’s often not much you can do. That’s why it’s important to be proactive and to raise awareness of the latest cybersecurity threats. The tips above will be a great starting point for building a robust cybersecurity culture in your organization.
Also Read: 5 Effective Tips for Increasing Business Efficiency
