You should have the best technology and tools to ensure cybersecurity. It would be best if you also implemented thorough cybersecurity processes. But none of this will truly matter if you don’t have the right people adequately trained to protect your digital assets and your organization from cyberattacks. This makes “people” the most important of the three pillars of cybersecurity.
There are two areas of focus when it comes to the people who protect your cybersecurity:
- Employees
- Cybersecurity team
Let’s take a closer look at each of these and what it means for the security of your business.
Train Employees Well
An astonishing 91% of cyberattacks start with a phishing email. The attacker poses as a trusted source and tricks the user into:
- Clicking on a link and providing login credentials.
- Downloading an attachment to install malware on the system unknowingly.
- Otherwise, providing sensitive information.
Phishing and other forms of social engineering are so compelling because of human error. It is so easy to fall victim to a convincing email that looks to be from someone you know and trust.
For this reason, every single person working for your organization must have proper cybersecurity awareness training. This training should promote the importance of cybersecurity, inform them of their role in the cybersecurity of your company, and include how to:
- Create solid and complex passwords.
- Recognize potentially suspicious emails and other forms of communication.
- Report suspicious emails.
- Respond when they have clicked on a link or downloaded a file in a suspicious email.
Training and engagement in cybersecurity must start from the top down, and there has to be buy-in from the CEO, who needs to oversee and sign off on all documentation related to cybersecurity and compliance and also model the behavior they expect from everyone else.
It is essential to understand that cybersecurity is a culture within your company that can be created and nourished. Ensuring each employee is fully aware of the cybersecurity risks your company faces, that each one has the appropriate training from the moment they start working for you, and that you conduct cybersecurity drills to test employee readiness all factor into your overall security.
Hire Top Cybersecurity Professionals
If you are a large company that can hire an in-house cybersecurity team, you need to start with your Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This person should have one or both of the following certifications:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
It takes years of experience to develop a deep enough understanding of cybersecurity to earn these certifications. If your CISO has them, they are well positioned to lead your cybersecurity team. Your CISO will work closely with your IT department to
Other cybersecurity roles you may want to fill include:
- Information security analyst – Responsible for maintaining an organization’s information infrastructure.
- Software security engineer – Responsible for developing and implementing all policies and procedures related to the security of the organization’s software systems.
- Security architect – Responsible for designing the network architecture and developing a comprehensive information security strategy.
- Penetration tester – Responsible for simulating cyberattacks and determining how the system responds.
- Security consultant – Responsible for discovering vulnerabilities in an organization’s IT ecosystem and advising an organization on reducing or eliminating them.
- Cloud security specialist – Responsible for an organization’s cloud data’s safety, integrity, availability, and confidentiality.
Keep in mind that the cybersecurity team you hire should have a good mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills include:
- Network and system administration
- Coding and other technical skills
- Deep insight into cloud security principles
- Risk identification and management
- Conducting security audits
Soft skills required by your cybersecurity team include:
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Social competence to interact with their team and employees and other users
- Cognitive competence to understand and retain relevant information
- Functional competence to complete tasks and solve problems using their skills, knowledge, and abilities
If you are a small- to medium-sized business without the resources to hire an in-house cybersecurity team or even just a CISO, then partner with a managed security service provider (MSSP).
Regardless of the route you take, your cybersecurity team should be responsible for:
- Developing your security posture
- Monitoring the cybersecurity landscape
- Detecting and mitigating threats
- Developing and implementing a response plan should an attack take place
- Training all employees on cybersecurity awareness and processes
You will never be able to achieve 100% cybersecurity, primarily because people are the weakest link to that security. However, having the best people on your cybersecurity team and having adequately trained employees will give you the best possible chance of avoiding a breach that could otherwise be costly in terms of finances and reputation.
Contact Platinum Technologies today to learn about our cybersecurity services to help you build a cybersecurity culture in your workplace.
