Gauging the effectiveness of your cybersecurity can be a bit of a daunting task, especially when asking if it could make a major difference in protecting your organization’s network infrastructure. If you want to track and measure your business’ cybersecurity preparedness, here are four steps to help you perform an evaluation.
Step One: Figure Out Where Your Weaknesses Lie
First, you’ll want to figure out where your weaknesses are and what can be done to fix them. Threats are always growing more powerful in response to security researchers’ attempts to counteract them, so figuring out where your infrastructure needs some updates will be critical to your success.
Oftentimes a simple upgrade or patch is not the answer; sometimes you also need to provide additional training or update your processes. Basically, if you don’t know what the problem is, you can’t address it, so do your best to determine what they are.
Step Two: Apply Trusted Methods that Meet Established Standards
All things considered, it’s not that difficult to figure out what you need to do to protect your business. There are so many organizations and established best practices out there that it’s more of a matter of applying them in a way that works for your business. It always helps to give us a call, too, just in case you’re unsure of what to do!
Any industry-based regulations and compliances can also help you make important decisions about your security standards. Things like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) apply to most businesses in operation today, and there are some industry-specific guidelines that could severely hinder one’s success if they are not followed. Be sure that you know what applies to your business and how.
Step Three: Figure Out if You Have the Resources You Need
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by IT security, especially if your organization doesn’t have a dedicated in-house department whose sole purpose is to manage and maintain your technology systems, security included. Knowing what resources you have available to you will be paramount to your success in securing your business.
Thankfully, you can rest assured that there are always options for your business, even if you are a small organization with a limited budget. Thanks to the managed service model, businesses of all types and sizes can take advantage of the same security features as enterprises. We can handle your security needs for you, and if you have an in-house team, they can focus on operations. Or, we can even switch these roles around–whichever you prefer!
Step Four: Plan Your Cybersecurity’s Future
Planning for cybersecurity after the fact isn’t ideal, but it’s better than not learning from your mistakes. However, the best approach is to future-proof your security strategy to prevent misfortunes like these from happening in the future. With a proactive approach, you can build a security plan and policies that can grow and evolve alongside the threats they are designed to face. Be sure to train your employees, too, as they are the ones who are on the frontlines more often than not. It never hurts to reevaluate your security strategy, especially considering the fast-paced nature of threat evolution.
Directive is Here to Help You at Every Step
Directive wants to help you secure your business. To learn more, ask us about our managed services by calling us at (607) 433-2200.
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