Why Security & Safety Readiness is important?

In today's high tech world, technology has made our lives very different than the way they were a few decades ago. Everything has changed, so have the risks and threats in the business world. The threats have grown so frequent that on average, firms face a new cybersecurity threat every hour .cyber crimes are getting bigger in scale and no one is safe anymore. Private sector and public sector are both facing these problems equally. These security breaches can damage either your finances or your reputation.

What is cybersecurity and why is it important? 

Cybersecurity is securing your firm from all the security risks and the illegal activities that can be harmful to the firm. 

 As the I.T world is developing and growing, so are the threats. More and more regulations are being implemented to make informational data and information systems more secure. The world is coming out of the illusion that the I.T world is safe. It is commonly known that every organization has been breached in one way or another or most likely to be breached soon.  

According to research by juniper research, it was predicted that in 2019, due to cybercrimes, companies will lose around 2 trillion, and this cost will increase about 150 million dollars more in 2020.  

According to the same report  Cybercrime and the Internet of Threats it is concluded that cybercrime professionalism is increasing, which means that crimes are decreasing in number due to new regulation and investments in cyber protection, but they are getting more targeted and more affected causing huge financial and other catastrophes. 

An analysis performed by Deloitte Advisory (Beneath the Surface of a Cyberattack: A Deeper Look at the Business Impacts) the cyber attacks usually impact the organizations long after the attack was conducted, almost two years to be precise and 90 % of the impact is not even quantifiable. For example. Information leaks, reputation losses, and share loss e.t.c.  

Just think about all the other ways information leaks can cause chaos in society. Leaked medical records, power failure in a city, deleted crime records, and most importantly, leaked sensitive information about a country. 

Is Safety readiness important? 

You must have heard "prevention is better than medicine." Having safety readiness and having a good risk management program is very necessary. Firm owners and the management must take cyber risks as significant business risks as well. the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)has established a Cybersecurity Framework which can be used as criteria to assess the risks and the practices that can reduce these risks.the framework consists of five main points: 

• establish organizational criteria to understand and manage cybersecurity threats. 
• Establish necessary protocols and safety measures to ensure uniform delivery of critical services 
• Establish appropriate measures to identify the occurrence of cybersecurity events. 

• Establish suitable responses to the threats that are being detected on a regular basis. 
• Establish plans and activities to restore and reinstate services that may have been disconnected as a result of the cyber attack. 

Hardware Maintenance Plans must be made ahead 

Hardware maintenance readiness is as important as software. There should be an established plan and contract with the hardware suppliers so in case of any fiasco the loss could be rectified quickly. Sensitive hardware such as servers, backups, and switches need immediate attention. Usually response time is specified in such contracts. Four hour response rate is standard for sensitive hardware devices. The less sensitive hardware devices can have longer response time according to their sensitivity levels.having an extra hardware device or some critical component is also a good idea if you are working in a remote area. Analyze which components have a high probability of failure and add that in the contract with your supplier to have an adequate amount of spares. 

People and Documentation 

Human resource is the most valuable asset a firm has. Firms should always be vigilant in planning the absence of a key worker. In the event of a security failure, organization must always have a list of backup security crew to call. Always have documented hardware and software configuration so that in the absence of your own cybersecurity team member, the backup security specialist can get familiar with the system easily. 

Always hire people with certifications 

Whenever you are hiring a person or your cybersecurity team, you must be extra careful. People With certifications not only know what they are doing and prove to be the greatest asset for your firm. Updating the skillset of the already hired security team through online information security or cisa online classes training is also a good option. At least make every employee renew his certification every three years. 

User policies 

Prepare clear and easy to follow user policies for your employees. Always make sure workforce readiness before conveying these policies through seminars or training. The training may be of any sort, Workforce readiness is very crucial. It can reduce a lot of risks like phishing for instance. Following are some examples of the policies you could implement 

Implementing these types of policies not only make cyber threats very restricted but also makes the office's overall environment more vigilant toward security. Get ready to face anything. Having safety and security readiness is the only way to survive in this decade.