Security presents several challenges to organizations nowadays and it can be difficult for organizations to keep up with the increase in cyber threats. Many organizations turn to security solutions to defend against the latest threats. While it’s important to use technologies to provide a layer automated protection, simply using technology alone isn’t enough. Research from Cisco found that only 26% of security issues can be solved by security products alone. In order to defend against the latest threats, organizations need to integrate security within their corporate culture. This includes having cyber aware staff and explicit security policies that employees need to follow. Creating a cybersecurity strategy will help every aspect of an organization, from its people to its process and technology, uphold a strong cybersecurity front.

Source: Cisco

3 Essential Things to Include in Your Cybersecurity Strategy

A cybersecurity strategy is an organization’s first step in having a robust and effective IT infrastructure. There is “no one size fits all” approach as the needs of every business is unique. However, each part of a cybersecurity strategy needs to work together to protect your business. Here are three elements your cybersecurity strategy needs.

1. Clearly Defined Security Priorities

The foundation of your security strategy must be rooted in your organization’s security goals and objectives. It needs to go beyond “block hackers and avoid breaches.” Your priorities should be specific to your organization and focused so that you can develop precise actions to improve your security. It involves looking at your critical resources and assessing the security risks and compliance standards that align with your organization. Once you have established your security priorities and goals, you can start developing standards and best practices to occupy your security strategy.

2. Communication with Executives and Key Stakeholders

Having support from your organization’s executives and stakeholders is incredibly important for your cybersecurity strategy because their attitudes shape security priorities and eventually form how the rest of your organization views security. Security is a business issue and affects everyone from the top down. Your cybersecurity strategy should be embedded within your business initiatives and not siloed with the IT team. Communication between your IT team and executive team is crucial in bridging the two together. Both teams need to work together to establish best practices that work for the organization and to invest in technologies that fit within security budgets.

3. Proactive Threat Management

Many organizations don’t start caring about security until after they’ve been breached. While it’s never too late to start implementing a security strategy, many security incidents could have been prevented if organizations took a proactive approach. Organizations should always be taking a proactive approach to security. Proactive threat management means your threat detection and response is always evolving to defend against the latest threats. It includes implementing the best security solutions, training staff on issues related to cybersecurity and evaluating and remediating security alerts. It takes time, experience and expert security skills to ensure your organization stays one step ahead of threat actors. To learn how Jolera can help defend your organization, contact us today.