You finally got the go-ahead from the board that there is a budget for a cybersecurity partner – great news! However, with so many similar yet different security services on the market, what is the best option for your business?
What a good cybersecurity partner looks like
There are a few fundamentals to look for that are clear indicators of a quality provider.
1. Well rounded cybersecurity expertise
When it comes to cybersecurity, you need more than malware protection. Even if a potential partner is the world’s top malware provider, your business is at more risk than without them if they can’t provide much else. Put it this way, the money spent on their below-par services takes away the resources needed to remediate and investigate a data breach or hack when it happens.
2. Can provide a 360 view
Comprehensive protection means having a multifaceted, holistic service that looks after every corner of your business risk profile. A patchwork of fixes makes for an incohesive cybersecurity solution, often mitigating risk without actually fixing the underlying problem.
Obviously, patches are an essential part of any cybersecurity strategy. Using them can fix issues, fix vulnerabilities, or improve your solutions. But patchwork alone no longer works. Today’s digital landscape, with many employees working from home, means the attack surfaces of most organizations are much broader and less contained than they used to be. Businesses must implement a comprehensive strategy that considers patch management and vulnerability management as part of an overall cybersecurity risk reduction management plan.
3. Tools and methods designed for today’s business environments
Cyber threats are continually changing as the technological landscape evolves. Hackers and bad actors are getting smarter and more inventive in their methods, which means that new tools and measures need to be adopted for better security.
Why do businesses fail to assess their cyber needs properly?
Despite more data breaches and hacks making headlines, businesses still have a degree of disconnect to implement adequate cybersecurity.
Many small businesses don’t have the expertise to realize or prioritize the risk that new technology assets can bring into their network. Even for larger enterprises, complacency in cybersecurity is common. It’s a misconception that cybersecurity only needs to be looked at once (which is usually at deployment) when the reality is that the goalpost is always moving.
Being shoved to the IT team’s list of responsibilities can mean that assessing precisely what is at stake, what can be done currently to reduce risk, and how the company responds in a threat scenario can be at complete odds with the business strategy and its capabilities.
More often than not, existing defense resources are available and can help; a good cybersecurity partner will look at what you currently have available to deploy before recommending additional layers.
For example, many business email control systems and CRMs can be set up in a way that forces regular credential renewals on a 60- or 90-day basis. With this simple procedure, no additional cost will be incurred, and the entire company is contributing to the cybersecurity process, making it far more seamless and effective.
Cybersecurity needs a strategy
Building a strategy takes time, money, and the belief that it’s all worth it. Cybersecurity has previously been regarded as a nice to have but ultimately, something that won’t contribute to the bottom line positively. But there is a change in the air, thanks to some big lessons from 2020/2021.
As the pandemic forced remote working for the masses, a survey found that 75% of companies saw an increase in cyber attacks. As a result, 55% of cybersecurity leaders could put themselves and cybersecurity at the center of the organization’s strategy and have its value recognized sooner by the C-suite.
Having and implementing a cybersecurity strategy that aligns with your business goals will help your business reach them while addressing risk and security. As security is taken care of, more focus and effort can be channeled into achieving the goals themselves; people and processes can become more efficient, thereby saving costs and creating new opportunities that will contribute to the bottom line.
It’s important to note that at its core, a cybersecurity strategy should be focused on reducing risk rather than addressing cybersecurity in general. Risk is ever-present, and getting a thorough understanding of what is realistic and possible will help shape the measures taken. This is necessary at all corners of the business. Board members need to understand cyber risk in the same way as financial or health and safety risk to get a strategy in place and ensure they’re invested in the outcomes and enable the rest of the business to contribute to them.
With a solid strategy, communication across the organization is made easier for when things go right and when things go wrong.
Tips for choosing the right cybersecurity provider
While you might realize that there is particular expertise needed during strategy creation, these are basics that should always be ticked off when choosing the right provider.
1. Happy customers
Reputation is everything, and finding a provider with tried and tested solutions with customer advocates is vital as a gauge. You may even find one with the same requirements as you to help you understand their solution better and if it’ll work for you. The key to a happy customer is a secure one, and if there is evidence of these factors, the cybersecurity provider has merit.
2. Compliance expertise
Regulatory compliance standards have become one of the top concerns of corporate boards. “Over the past two years, the typical enterprise has been turned inside out. As the new normal of hybrid work took shape, all organizations need an always-connected defensive posture and clarity on what business risks remote users elevate to remain secure”, said Peter Firstbrook, VP Analyst at Gartner.
3. Managed service
Even if you’re not looking for fully managed service, having a fair amount of cybersecurity taken care of makes a huge difference to the day-to-day operations and crisis management. The advantages of working with an outsourced cybersecurity service provider are that they can provide 24/7 monitoring for attacks that can occur at any time. They are experts who stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving landscape of cyberattacks.
4. Cybersecurity training
Getting all employees trained on cybersecurity in an engaging and relevant way isn’t easy. But having an entire organization aware of the risks and the security measures needed can significantly reduce risk exposure.
5. Technical Support
Knowing you have a provider who offers 24/7 technical support in times of crisis and emergency can provide a tremendous amount of comfort, not to mention save reputation, finances and the amount of damage caused.
6. Ability to integrate
In a cybersecurity provider, it’s far better and more productive if the pairing is viewed mutually as a partnership. If they can integrate with your team and business, the strategy will be implemented and maintained fully and consistently.
A resilient cyber approach
You want a cybersecurity partner you can trust to ensure that your business’s cyber strategy is sound and that plans are executed effectively, vulnerabilities are managed, and risks mitigated. A partner that takes care of your security defense, so you gain time to spend on what matters more – a good night’s sleep, family time, business growth planning time.
To facilitate this, ENHALO emphasizes the importance of the big picture.
After decades of working with clients who sought band-aid fixes when problems occurred, they now recognize that they can invest strategically in a defense strategy rather than a band-aid with the right partner. Unlike most cybersecurity companies that focus on products, we build a robust, resilient defense and are not confined by technology.
Products are necessary, but they’re only a tiny piece of the puzzle to create an appropriate cyber security solution that genuinely safeguards your assets.
