Safeguarding your business and its data is not about products but your organization's culture and mindset about protecting sensitive information, employees, and customers. That comprehensive approach to operations, security, and business continuity is often called cyber resiliency – the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, attacks, etc. While many vendors tout cyber resiliency in terms confined to cybersecurity, we look at it in terms of any business disruption, including cyber attacks.
Regardless, there are six steps commonly agreed on for achieving cyber resiliency:
- ID assets and risks
- Develop policies and procedures
- Security Controls (digital and physical)
- Educate and train employees
- Assess and improve systems
- Incident response plan
ID Assets, Critical Systems, and Risks to Both
To start with, much as we discussed in earlier business continuity blogs, your organization must ID your assets, systems, and anything that could put operations at risk. We think this is so important that we're posting another blog specifically on the process later this month. You simply cannot protect what you don't know you have or what you may overlook when it comes to crucial operational tools.
Implementing Strong Policies & Procedures
You have heard us preaching before about the need for clear policies and well-documented procedures for everything in your business, but trust us, we've been through disruptions of all sizes and types with our clients, and you do not want to be fumbling about when trouble starts. Not only do you want to craft clear cybersecurity policies, but you also want to think through the policies and procedures for other aspects of your business—crisis communications, natural disasters, patching and routine maintenance schedules, vulnerability testing and other risk assessment testing, backup and recovery, employee security training schedules, and more. Business partners such as vendors, MSPs, and cyber insurance providers are great resources for guidance and templates when it comes to these tasks.
Security Controls Beyond Cybersecurity Products
Don't overlook the need for security controls that go beyond cybersecurity solutions. Have you considered access control for your office and on-premises storage areas used for files, invoices, payment records, and other documentation? How about user access controls on applications that house sensitive information? Too many organizations focus so keenly on cybersecurity that they overlook the broad spectrum of digital and physical security controls needed for true cyber resiliency. Attacks don't always come from bad actors lurking in the shadows of the internet, so be prepared for more traditional threats as well.
Employee Awareness and Response Training
Your best defense against any threat is having a team of educated, aware employees. Not only should you invest in security awareness training, such as Exigent's Vigilant program, but be sure to loop your entire team in on policies and procedures for crisis communications, business continuity, and more. They may not remember every detail of every plan, but with awareness comes the ability to respond quickly to the early stages of any disruption, setting your organization up to navigate all types of disasters more successfully.
Evaluate and Improve Over Time
Continuously monitoring, testing, revising, and improving your policies, procedures, training, and strategies is crucial when it comes to cyber resiliency. Whether you are working through a dry run for the response to a cyber attack or a natural disaster, the more often you conduct simulations, make corrections and improvements, and practice recovery steps, the more comfortable and competent your team will be when the challenge arises.
Incident Response Plan
When we shared best practices for business continuity a few months ago, we outlined the importance of an incident response plan. An incident response plan is a detailed strategy that outlines the who, what, when, and how of responding to a disruptive incident. It should include assignments for the response team, roles for leadership to fill, communication strategies, timelines for notifications both internal and external, and more. One often overlooked element of incident response planning is scheduling regular drills and simulations that help your team prepare for real-world scenarios.
Download our incident response plan template
Cyber Resiliency Is an Ongoing Process
Just as the threat scenarios and risks to your organization will evolve and change over time, so will your organization's plans for preparing, preventing, and recovering from those disruptions – both big and small. Approach cyber resiliency as a long-term project rather than a "one and done" event.
At Exigent, we collaborate with our clients on a similar approach to technology – creating an evolving roadmap that includes key cybersecurity solutions, but also plans for business continuity needs, upgrade schedules, and employee training segments. Learn more about how we can help your organization better weather unexpected challenges.
