Cybersecurity: 7 tips to protect your business

Cybersecurity

As a cornerstone of business continuity and data protection, cybersecurity has become a major issue in ensuring the sustainability of organizations in a constantly evolving digital environment. 

To meet this challenge, it is essential to understand the different facets of cybersecurity and best practices to ensure effective and continuous protection of our information systems.

Cybersecurity - 7 tips to protect your business

The many facets of cybercrime

Cybercrime extends well beyond the digital world, affecting various sensitive areas and exposing businesses to a series of critical issues. Understanding these issues is essential for effective defense against cyber threats.

The financial consequences of cyberattacks are considerable. They include temporary business interruption, immediate loss of revenue, long-term customer losses, and high costs to repair the damage caused.

Even though companies are often victims of cyberattacks, they can be seen as partially responsible in the event of a lack of security. Theft of personal or confidential data risks tarnishing their brand image and driving away customers.

Some cyberattacks allow competitors to access sensitive information, such as intellectual property, thereby endangering the competitive advantages of the attacked company.

Cyberattacks can trigger serious societal consequences, affecting areas such as data privacy, national security, public health and even the environment. Citizens, strategic industries and the environmental ecosystem can all be affected.

⚠️ Cybercrime is not limited to the digital sphere; it extends to all aspects of modern society, requiring constant vigilance and adequate preparation to face these complex challenges.

How to protect your business?

The transition to digital exposes companies more to risks. Cyberattackers, armed with advanced technologies, orchestrate varied and organized attacks. Security becomes vital for the sustainability of businesses. Discover 7 tips to secure your business !

Excerpt from the Netsystem white paper.

  • Establish governance of the ISS

Management must define an information systems security policy (ISSI) to guide decisions, because IS security influences all of the company's activities and employees. The establishment of a safety committee, involving key players, is recommended.

  • Allocate a budget to the SSI

On average, around 10% of the IT budget should be allocated to cybersecurity, but this proportion must adapt to the sector of activity and the specific security challenges of each organization. A risk analysis helps determine budgetary priorities and cover needs in human resources, training, audits, updates, etc.

  • Appoint an Information Security Manager (CISO)

In larger companies, it is best to have separate people for the CIO and CISO positions to avoid conflicts of interest. In smaller structures, it is necessary to clearly define roles and dedicate specific time to cybersecurity.

  • Map sensitive information

Every company holds sensitive data, whether it concerns its business or its customers. Creating a list of sensitive information makes it possible to locate the information system components where they reside for enhanced protection.

  • Identify cybersecurity issues based on assets

This involves implementing a targeted and effective security strategy. By determining critical assets and sensitive data, the company can assess the risks to which it is exposed, which allows it to prioritize security measures, allocate the necessary resources, and implement appropriate controls.

To increase the security of information systems, training and awareness among teams is essential, as cyberattackers now target a diverse range of data, not just sensitive or financial information. Even data considered “ordinary” has value because it adds credibility to cybercriminal attacks, such as phishing or presidential fraud.

In this context, it is imperative to raise user awareness of cyber risks and provide them with adequate training . This approach ensures that everyone follows security best practices and demonstrates vigilance.

An effective way to involve each user in the security of information systems is to set up fake-phishing campaigns . This fun approach helps to maintain vigilance and regularly remind us of good practices.

It is also essential to communicate transparently internally to maintain the vigilance of your employees and inform them of possible attacks. Open communication promotes engagement and creates synergy for cybersecurity.

  • Assess the company's cyber maturity

During the security audit phase, the state of the company's information system is carefully evaluated according to a benchmark which makes it possible to measure the degree of compliance of the IS with the company's security policy. This assessment covers both technical and organizational aspects.

  • Implement an action plan to control and reduce risks

The audit then plays an essential role in developing a detailed action plan, specifying how to implement the recommendations issued by the auditor, paying particular attention to correcting the vulnerabilities highlighted.

  • “Internal” entry points

The network, passwords, workstations, emails, servers, and other elements can potentially serve as entry points for attackers. It is advisable to implement procedures adapted to each situation and to use the appropriate tools, such as antivirus, antispam, and anti-phishing.

  • “External” entry points

Subsidiaries, suppliers, subcontractors, hosts and other stakeholders also play a crucial role in protecting your IT. It is therefore essential to create a secure ecosystem, so that these partners do not become potential entry points to your IS.

  • Nomadic terminals

Laptops, tablets and smartphones are particularly exposed to the risk of loss and theft. Specific measures must be put in place to secure this equipment, such as strong authentication, confidentiality filters, data encryption, and the establishment of IPsec VPN tunnels between nomadic workstations and the IS.

  • Implement an IT Continuity Plan

In the event of an incident, PCI helps reduce the consequences of a cyberattack on the company's activities and accelerate the implementation of protection and repair measures. This plan covers the entirety of cyber crisis management, from the strategic to the operational dimension.

  • Keep systems up to date

To address the many vulnerabilities that result from these systems not always being updated. Managing updates on time is a simple but very effective measure to strengthen IT security.

  • Subscribe to “Cyber ​​Insurance”

This insurance specifically dedicated to cybersecurity covers the financial and legal consequences of digital attacks likely to jeopardize the sustainability of the company.

Securing your business against cyber risks cannot be a one-off process; it must be constant. Vulnerabilities and attack methods are constantly evolving, which means that the protection of your information system must also evolve accordingly.

It is essential to stay informed of technological developments and best practices in cybersecurity . This will allow you to regularly adapt your security policy and your IT protection measures to stay in line with current and emerging threats.