The days when a business’s cyber security was the sole responsibility of a specialised IT team is long gone.
All aspects of all modern businesses depend on the internet, from payment and order processing to interdepartmental communication and data storage. This means cyber security is no longer merely a technical function, but a business-critical priority.
For a business to flourish, cyber security needs to be a boardroom issue as well as an IT team issue. It is integral to building and maintaining consumer trust, financial stability, and even your legal right to trade.
From interns to company directors, cyber security is everyone’s concern.
Content
A matter of reputation
Losing sensitive data or the ability to trade for an extended period will lose you money and could result in legal consequences. But even if you manage to avoid or withstand these catastrophes, perhaps the most impactful consequence of a cyber security failure is the damage it can do to your reputation.
Businesses need to earn the trust of their consumers and clients, as well as any third-party vendors they work with. If any of these groups begin to feel as though their data is not safe with you, it is almost impossible to win back that trust.
By implementing a business-wide, regularly tested cyber security and recovery plan, you can assure your clients that yours is a business they can rely on.
Keeping the law on side
Security criteria, such as data protection laws, apply to all within the business, not just the IT team, meaning it is essential that the boardroom is involved in the development and implementation of cyber security policy.
It is not only consumer trust and financial stability that is threatened by weak cyber security, but also your business’s regulatory ability to trade. The boardroom must therefore work alongside the IT team to create the strongest policy possible, so that if anything should go wrong, it will not be down to negligence.
Changing business culture
A key part of any effective cyber security policy is how it is implemented throughout the business. Every employee at every level should be trained to spot a potential malware attack, to know which of their colleagues or superiors to contact with questions and issues, and what their particular role is in the event of a security breach.
This will require a potential overhaul of staff training practices, to ensure that employees are kept aware of new technologies and developing threats.
Train them to recognise suspicious emails, to know which data can be accessed by whom, and how to securely back up their records. Measure and monitor staff performance concerning cyber security as you would any other KPI or metric.
All strategic decisions should account for cyber security
Cyber security affects all aspects of modern business, so it follows that all strategic decisions a business makes must account for cyber risk.
For example, in activities such as acquisitions, digital transformations, supply chain development, and outsourcing, which all require boardroom input and approval.
It is not only your own security which matters. A breach in one of your partners’ or suppliers’ security is one way in which a hacker might try to access your business data. This means that every company you work with must be carefully assessed to maintain safety. One weak link is all a potential hacker will need to infiltrate your entire system.
To keep your business secure and your data protected, enlist the help of expert cyber security consultants, who can provide you with the best cyber protection for your business needs.
I’m Aurelia Brown! I blog about tech, how to use it, and what you should know. I love spending time with my family and sharing stories of the day with them.
