Serie: Covid-19, what happens next? How to prepare your business in 7 steps | Episode 7 / 7
Information Security is something that keeps the C-suite group up at night. But reality is that it is hardly ever in control. Technology is changing and advancing at an unprecedented pace. It is difficult for companies to keep up with the pace considering the time, resource, and budget constraints. To make the situation even more challenging, there are regulations and guidelines that companies must comply with. For e.g. SoX, GDPR etc.
With the arrival of the pandemic, the situation has drastically worsened. Companies are pressed for qualified and trustworthy resources, all while keeping low costs due to the significant drop in sales.
However, none of this has stopped the pace at which exploits are discovered and developed. This has made the situation dangerous. Companies are at risk of business disruptions, data hacks, losing their digital assets and having proprietary information like custom recipes and critical business data leaked.
Why is Security Necessary?
Today’s businesses exist at an age when assets reside on networks that are further connected to a countless number of devices and access points.
No one knows when, where or how an attack on a company’s assets could take place. Digital hacks, espionage, cyber attacks and data leaks are not only themes of sci-fi movies anymore, but everyday certainties.
Internal threats like disgruntled employees, untrained resources and inexperienced task owners are as serious as outsider threats like organized crime, corporate espionage, state-sponsored attacks, etc.
Understanding what is at stake and thinking about how to best secure it without tightening the security too much is the first step in the right direction.
Need for Action
With the arrival of Covid-19, the world and industries have experienced a change that was neither expected nor experienced by anybody before.
Many companies with a small workforce kept things in check as the workforce was physically present in the premises where they were always being closely monitored. But with social distancing measures in place, an average of 80% of the workforce has been relocated to work from home, making arrangements and physical controls no longer possible.
In addition to the unexpected need of implementing new security measures for social distancing, the need to review the existing security architecture of control gaps has presented itself since some of the old controls are not applicable anymore.
Whether the need is to merely change some of the existing controls or radically change and reimplement the whole security strategy and architecture, a simple assessment is required to identify the gaps, decide upon corrective measures and design a roadmap for remediation.
The challenge is that this assessment cannot wait for things to go back to normal.
The good thing is that a security assessment of various layers of technology can be remotely planned and executed fairly quickly with the help of an experienced consulting partner with a proven track record.
It is not a case of “if” things go wrong anymore, but rather “when” they will go wrong. Companies cannot afford to wait and watch for things to get out of control before taking action. Proactive steps must be taken to protect the digital assets of an organization.
Being Proactive
In an effort to revamp their e-commerce platforms, companies need to be proactive and keep the security aspects under control.
To get a head start over the competition, an inexpensive and a quick assessment can be executed for the technology aspects under scanner, which will help the organizations to identify the gaps in technology layers and take corrective actions.
Proactive steps taken to identify gaps will ensure that the interests of the company are protected at all times and that safeguards are in place to mitigate both internal and external threats.
With drastically changing work patterns and priorities, the challenges and threat landscapes have changed. It is important to evaluate threat landscapes, identify the risks that can turn into reality, and set controls and mitigation in place before things get out of hands.
Three-Step Approach
There are various formal approaches to an assessment, but one is simple yet highly effective. This approach has three phases that are executed in a focused manner to achieve the results, which helps in devising an actionable plan and a future roadmap.
- Prepare: in the first phase, the scope of the assessment is identified, and the resources are mobilized. Timelines are set and communication protocols are decided.
- Assess and Execute: A list of the required documents is shared, and assessment tests of the decided scope is executed. Periodic updates are provided to the stakeholders.
- Report and Close: The findings report is prepared and shared with the stakeholders, findings and remediation options are discussed. If required, a remediation roadmap is prepared, and an effort estimation is done.
Wrapping Up
No matter what your security needs are. Whether they are planned or unplanned, and whether the changes needed were anticipated or unanticipated.
A specialized security services team with skills to cater to your needs is required. A team that can assess, design, and propose the best possible solutions to address the needs of your organization and, most importantly, deliver it in a cost-effective manner.
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