Transforming your cybersecurity into proactive risk management

When we think of security, we often think of “keeping something out” — of “barring the door.” But, security is far more than this. It is about having a proactive approach to threats. It is about risk management and keeping your business safe in the long term. This is particularly true when it comes to cybersecurity.

So, how do you transform your cybersecurity so it becomes proactive? In other words, how do you target forward-thinking risk management?

Proactive cybersecurity policies

We often hear about the difference between proactive and reactive people. However, the well informed know that it is better to be the former than the latter.

All of us need to be both, at least as far as cybersecurity is concerned.

Being proactive about your risk management means identifying threats ahead of time, and working to block these threats before they can impact your business. You need to understand the threat landscape and how it is unfolding, and to put the right solutions in place to keep your business protected and operating at full capacity.

But what about the reactive aspect? To be purely reactive is no good, and is akin to closing the gate after the horse has bolted. However, you still need to remain open to the possibility of change, and to be flexible. If your proactive risk management plan suddenly comes up short, or if the threat landscape shifts, you need to be able to pivot to a Plan B. This is the right balance of proactive and reactive.

How to become proactive about risk management?

Trust the data

Your business generates vast amounts of data. The accumulated digital universe of data has grown ten-fold in only seven years, and private business plays a big role in this. It is up to you to make sure this data provides you an advantage. Deploy analytics software and customer relationship management platforms to capture and store this data, and stay on top of potential weaknesses or risky behaviors.

You also need to look outside of your business and gather data from here. Keep up to date with thought leaders in the security space, and take their forecasts onboard. Give yourself advance warning when it comes to threats, and pre-empt them before they strike.

Bring everyone onboard

The days of a standalone security department overseeing everything are behind us. Nowadays, each member of your team needs to take ownership of the security problem. Training and education give staff members the insight required to be proactive, and can make all the difference when it comes to risk management.

COVID-19 has accelerated moves towards remote work, as well as a bring your own device (BYOD) focus for business. This makes it even more important to ensure that your teams are fully engaged and prepared to tackle the challenge of security.

Get serious about staying ahead of the curve

If your business is to stay ahead of the cybersecurity curve, leveraging the most up-to-date solutions and benefiting from the latest insight, this requires investment.

Develop a long-term strategy, and invest carefully in making this happen. Don’t invest haphazardly, but don’t undervalue the importance of cybersecurity either. The average cost to recover from a malware attack is now over $84,000, and this is just one example of a potential cybersecurity breach.

View compliance as a base level

Staying compliant with regulations in your industry is critical, but it should not be viewed as the main aim of the game. Instead, you should view this as a base level, and look to build upon this wherever possible. To learn more about a proactive approach to risk management and cybersecurity, reach out to our team today.