If you knew the truth about data security within companies, you would think twice before you share confidential information. There is a gap between the concerns that companies have about their data and the actions they take to protect it. While this gap is understandable, it can put your organization at risk. To help close this gap, here are some steps you can take as a business owner or manager to ensure that your company has the proper security posture to protect against today’s threats:
What are companies concerned about?
The truth is, most companies know the risks, however, it’s not enough to know the risks, you need to understand the full scope of these dangers and create a plan to mitigate those risks. Many companies are concerned about data breaches, data loss, data theft, data misuse, and data tampering.
Data breaches mean that hackers have stolen or changed your data. Data loss means the lack of availability of your data when you need it. Data theft is when unauthorized third parties take possession of your company’s confidential information without authorization. Data misuse is when someone uses the information for their own benefit without authorization from the rightful owner, such as identity theft and credit card fraud. Data tampering is when unauthorized people make changes to your data by adding or removing information, such as changing account balances or redirecting payments into their accounts. All of these are areas of concern for companies that rely on this data to run their organization.
What is the reason for the gap between concern and action?
So why is there such a gap between concern and action? It’s hard to say for certain, but it may be due in part to a lack of understanding regarding the risks and security posture of your company. If you’re not sure how secure your company is, how can you know if there are gaps? And even if you know where the gaps are, how do they affect employee data confidentiality? If employees don’t know what their responsibilities are in maintaining data integrity, then they won’t be able to help close these gaps themselves.
How can this gap be reduced?
The first step to reducing the security gap is to understand it. The key to this is a comprehensive risk assessment, which looks at all of your company’s vulnerabilities and threats. Once you know what your vulnerabilities are, you can work towards mitigating them.
One of the best things that a company can incorporate is a zero trust architecture framework to ensure that all user access permissions align with their current roles and responsibilities in the organization. In zero trust architecture, it is assumed that everyone is a vulnerability or a risk, even within the company. You can also reduce the gap by performing regular security posture assessments and doing gap analyses to figure out where the holes are located.
What are the different areas that need to be considered?
When you begin to develop your security posture, it’s important to understand the many areas that need to be considered. Data security, technical architecture, and ZTA are all critical areas to consider. Not only does your company need antivirus and antimalware software, it also needs a comprehensive structure to help protect the integrity of all the data within a business. This includes employee data as well as company information.
What does the road to zero trust look like?
The road to zero trust is a journey that many companies are taking. A zero trust architecture means that you don’t trust any device or user, including internal users and employees. This isn’t a new concept, but it has slowly gained popularity over the last few years thanks to the increasing use of mobile devices and BYOD, or bring your own device. It means evaluating all potential sources of incoming threats including through desktops at work smartphones and tablet devices.
How do you know where to start?
You need to get a handle on the security situation of your company before you can go about improving it. This is where risk assessments come in. A risk assessment is an in-depth, detailed, and often lengthy process that involves identifying all aspects of a problem, from the people involved and the data they possess to their assets, including BYOD, and possible threats. It’s also important to consider how well-protected those assets are from cybercriminals, malware, and other malicious actors who may want access to your sensitive information or private data.
While companies should recognize that their security posture will not protect them from all risks, it’s important to never trust anyone or any device that accesses your systems. Always verify.
