Cybersecurity: Business Goal Or Inconvenience?

Cybersecurity has to be a priority for every employee. However, some organizations assume this means lecturing every employee about cybersecurity, regardless of their core responsibilities.

Cybersecurity: Is It a Business Goal or an Inconvenience?

One of the key objectives of cybersecurity is to provide as much protection in as transparent a manner as possible. Unfortunately, many business leaders have discovered that finding that balance is their greatest challenge.

Cybersecurity has to be a priority for every employee. However, some organizations assume this means lecturing every employee about cybersecurity, regardless of their core responsibilities. The truth is that certain departments need it more than others. The ultimate goal of cybersecurity must be to manage risks. Therefore, no effective security strategy can be designed without taking the human element into consideration.

Cybersecurity

Is Cybersecurity Being Viewed as an Inconvenience?

Security professionals are aware that people determine the level of risk they are most comfortable with, and they take action based on this understanding.  It’s now understood that many people will refuse to comply with, walk away from, or find new ways to get around security measures they find intrusive, compounded, or needless.

People prioritize what’s most important to them. Therefore, business and security leaders will base their need for security by weighing the risks involved with the challenges—which many equate to an inconvenience. Do you lock your front and back doors when you leave your home? Do you also lock every door inside your home when you leave, such as the doors to the bedrooms? While locking a home’s interior doors could increase the level of protection, many homeowners don’t go through the trouble of doing so because of the inconvenience.

One of the goals of enterprise security is to provide as much protection as possible in a clear and effective manner. Cybersecurity must be a part of the plan, especially in a world where less and less business is being done on paper.

Cybersecurity: A Topic That Can’t Be Ignored

There is a need to implement an effective cybersecurity model without it appearing as an inconvenience, and this goes back to the need for cybersecurity to be as easy-flowing and transparent as possible. Organizations that hope to foster a strong cybersecurity culture must build trust between business leaders and executives to be successful. Often, organizations make security an unnecessary obstacle by not staying up-to-date with the latest best practices.

An effective cybersecurity solution can operate behind closed doors. However, users do not have to be overloaded with challenges in order to comply with the security policy. With ransomware and other cybercrime rising at an astonishing rate, advanced technology has become one of the core focuses of every industry.

Choosing the right technology is critical because the majority of incidents involving ransomware attacks and data breaches occur because there are gaps in human performance. This has become an overlooked cybersecurity issue in most organizations. More business and security leaders are pointing to a continuous cycle of new technologies being implemented to address emerging cyber threats. Unfortunately, this often leads to an increase in the level of complexity. As a result, this leads to more bad behavior that will completely defeat the purpose of having security protocols.

While massive attacks on businesses and organizations of all sizes have prompted investments in cybersecurity, many businesses are doing very little, preferring to give more attention to other priorities, such as sales or product development. At a time when bad actors are going after businesses of all sizes, especially those who lack the proper security protocols, failing to invest in cybersecurity and making it a priority defies good business sense.

Taking Responsibility for Cybersecurity

The defense against cybersecurity begins with taking responsibility for it. After taking responsibility for cybersecurity, company-wide security protocols must be implemented and time must be set aside to update security patches, ensure employees have a deep understanding of the security standards, and check for system and network vulnerabilities.

For businesses ready to take on the responsibility of cybersecurity, business leaders, security leaders, and executives should think of all the damaging things that can happen if there are any vulnerabilities. Then find out what measures can be taken to fix those vulnerabilities and prevent those things from happening. Don’t make things easy for cybercriminals.

Establishing A Cyber Resilient Culture

One of the best ways to foster communication and collaboration in the workplace is to establish a common vocabulary. Everyone should be able to communicate about cyber threats and existing and future cyber initiatives. Some leaders may not understand the conversations surrounding IT and cybersecurity, but this does not mean they should be left out of the conversation. IT leaders should feel comfortable explaining cybersecurity plans and strategies in a manner that everyone will understand.

Workplaces should also have regular meetings about the importance of cybersecurity and how a cyber-resilient culture requires a company-wide effort. Workplaces can also host other meetings and events that create multiple opportunities for employees to learn more about cybersecurity threats like ransomware and phishing. When organizations are proactive towards cybersecurity, this will not only be a way to prevent attacks and breaches, but it will also be a great way to get everyone to actively participate in establishing a cyber-resilient culture.

Creating a culture where cybersecurity is prioritized is critical for protecting your organization’s assets, network, and systems. Prioritizing cybersecurity should not be something that falls on the shoulders of one department, it must be a company-wide effort. When everyone is on board with making cybersecurity a priority, the result will be an environment that ensures the organization’s most confidential and valuable assets and systems are protected.

Bottom Line

  • Cybersecurity must be a priority and should not be sacrificed for other business reasons.
  • Security must be usable to be effective.
  • Users who accept effective security models will make the organization more productive and efficient.
  • Users will find a way to avoid tasks and systems that are excessively challenging, and this can lead to disasters when cybersecurity is not a workplace priority.

As threats continue to evolve, failure to prioritize cybersecurity will be a source of needless risk. While the level of risk is higher than the world would like to see, you do have options when it comes to protecting your business. Contact Envizion IT when you are ready to discuss your cybersecurity requirements and business objectives.

Thanks to Holden Watne with GenerationIX in Los Angeles for his help with this article. Learn more about their managed IT services in Los Angeles.

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