Cyber Security and Digital Strategy
In the digital age, many organisations have become more digital-focused and are working towards having a clear digital strategy in place. This has become even more necessary in recent times with so many companies working from home – and having to quickly adapt to remote working. These new ways of working bring with them possibilities for security issues to arise. But is cyber security as high of a priority for your business as it needs to be?
Your stakeholders – including customers, clients, employees, and investors – all expect and trust you to keep personal and company data safe and secure. But, there are endless ways that security or data breaches can happen in a business. Hackers are getting more sophisticated and targeted in their approaches – and both your systems and your people could be left vulnerable to an attack.
What can you do to keep your company secure? Remaining on high alert is key, which is why you need to have in place a robust digital strategy that addresses these threats and protects core systems. It is also essential to ensure your teams all understand the importance of security and the roles they play in keeping information secure.
To help with this, we’ve put together our Top Tips to for cyber security to include and improve in your digital strategy:
1. Expect to be attacked
Did you know up to 88% of companies in the UK have experienced a data breach in the last year? Attacks happen every day, and hackers are not about to give up anytime soon. It does not matter how big or small your organisation is – you are likely to still be targeted.
So what can you do? You need to be prepared for any attacks that may come your way – through your technology and through your employees. The way someone may target your company can vary. When employees are targeted, they may receive generic phishing emails – though these can be easier to identify. Or they could be the victim of social engineering attacks – where hackers use information they learn about a specific individual (available on specialised websites or through someone’s own social media) to create realistic, targeted campaigns that can be harder to determine are scams.
2. Focus on information security too
When it comes to cyber security, very often it is looked at simply as a technology problem around how secure the systems we use are. While it is important to keep our systems and technology as secure as possible with the latest security software and updates – information security is also vital.
Information security covers all the information the people in your organisation have access to. Whether it’s on their work computers, personal devices, the information they share publicly (such as on social media), or even just wearing company lanyards outside of the office; all of these elements can contribute to your information security. Security is so more than just about protecting our systems and technology – we need to keep information and data secure too. Everybody within your organisation works with information, therefore it is essential to make information security a joint effort with everyone throughout your organisation.
3. Create a culture change
For security to become a priority it needs to happen throughout your organisation – from the very top right through to the bottom. Only then will you see a real security culture change. It is important to ensure everyone fully understands safety is not just an IT problem or the IT team’s responsibility – it is a people problem.
Did you know 95% of security breaches are down to human error? This is why every single person in the organisation has an important part to play in maintaining your company’s security. Everyone must be equipped with the knowledge they need in order to spot where any potential breaches could appear. This lets them remain vigilant at all times to keep the information and systems they work with secure.
4. Get proactive about prevention
Talking about security is all well and good, but how do you actually make sure everyone in your organisation understands what is required of them and continues to follow best practice security processes and procedures? Your internal communications team can take on an important part in getting the key information and messaging out there to the rest of your organisation. They can keep security as an ever-present topic in the minds of everyone through regular security-focused campaigns and content.
This information can take many different approaches. Training is necessary as a starting point to give all teams the foundation knowledge of why security is important, what to look out for, the processes they should be following, and how to report any potential security risks or attempted attacks. From here, it is about keeping on-going communications that highlight security as high priority. This can be done through campaigns with clear, simple messaging – such as infographics, company emails, e-learning, posters in the office, video animations, and more.
5. Utilise existing, tested high-quality solutions
Now that we have talked about what the people in your organisation can do to help improve your security, it is important to also consider the digital systems and technology you have in place too. How do you currently manage your cyber security? Are you confident it is able to protect you from threats and keep hackers at bay? A commercial cloud-based service will be able to offer you security that is tried-and-tested and at a higher level than you are efficiently able to set-up in-house.
Microsoft 365 helps you implement high-security for all your Microsoft 365 apps (including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Office, Outlook, Power Platform, and Dynamics) as well as helping you configure recommended security features for your needs. You can closely monitor your security through the Microsoft 365 Security Center, and you can also rest assured you have the latest advancements in security with Microsoft’s regular automatic updates.
When it comes to security, it can feel like there is a lot to think about and be aware of in order to keep your organisation safe and ensure everyone throughout the business is on the same page.
So what is your next step?
In a time when security attacks are becoming more frequent and scams are appearing frighteningly realistic and targeted, it is imperative you act now. There really is no time to waste in addressing your organisation’s security.
Becoming a digital-first business is just the first step – you must ensure you are prepared for what comes with it and are proactively protecting your company. Keeping your business safe from threats to your internal systems and resolving any weaknesses in your internal processes or employee knowledge is essential. Cyber security and information security must be critical parts of your digital strategy that are understood and followed throughout your organisation.
But you are not alone. We can help you build a digital strategy that places a high importance on information and cyber security – and we will work with your business to implement it across your company to ensure seamless adoption so that it becomes second nature for your team members to follow.
Our team has decades of experience working with organisations of all sizes to help improve the security of their systems and information. Get in touch with us today and see how we can work with you to create a solution that works for your organisation’s individual needs.
You can also keep up with more useful advice and information to improve the digital health and digital strategies for your organisation by following Pi Digital Solutions on social media too.
