As organizations continue to grapple with the constantly changing landscape of cybersecurity , one thing is clearer than ever before—holist...
As organizations continue to grapple with the constantly changing landscape of cybersecurity, one thing is clearer than ever before—holistic network security is a must. Holistic network security includes IP resources and devices, all the way through to end-user security strategies.
One of the most important takeaways of holistic security best practices is that it’s not enough to simply have the right technology. That technology has to be applied in the right ways.
Too often, organizations make the mistake of being lulled into a false sense of security when they buy the “right” tools, but in doing so, they’re still left open to attacks and threats.
It’s also imperative to know that no industry is immune from cybersecurity requirements, nor is an organization simply because of their size or what they perceive as being a lack of assets that would be of interest to cybercriminals.
A truly holistic cybersecurity approach needs to integrate the human factor, particularly considering that almost all cyberattacks stem from human error, as well as corporate culture.
The following offers a brief overview of what holistic cybersecurity is and the benefits.
People and their understanding of security best practices are integral to holistic security. Cybersecurity and its importance have to be part of not only corporate training but corporate culture.
There have to not only be the right processes in place, but the culture and processes of the organization need to reflect cybersecurity as a priority.
You can often compare holistic cybersecurity to holistic health. Holistic health isn’t about treating one illness or one part of a person. It’s about overall wellness, and holistic health integrates many different approaches and is a core focus of a person’s life. It extends to their diet, physical fitness, medical care, and mental health care.
You can see the parallels between this and holistic cybersecurity. Holistic cybersecurity isn’t a one and done situation where you put technology in place, train employees once, and then forget it.
It’s something that’s part of everything done in your business. It’s not just an issue for the IT department or an issue related to technology.
It is part of all areas of a business, and there aren’t silos in an organization with a holistic approach to cybersecurity. Departments and teams are working together to promote the wellness of the organization as a whole.
As you’re setting up a system to protect yourself more thoroughly, governance is a big priority.
This means that you have rules and accountability. These things need to be specific, concise, and well-defined.
Employees need to know not only their role in organizational cybersecurity best practices but also the consequences for something that happens as a result of their actions, whether these actions are malicious or are the result of negligence.
Governance is, in many ways the foundation of holistic cybersecurity, perhaps even more than the technology itself.
This is especially important as we see how many data breaches are the result of human action, rather than failures of security technology.
There is too frequently an assumption that employees know what to do, and that assumption many times turns out to be false.
Awareness can include training, and this training should heavily focus on helping employees understand the tactics most commonly utilized by attackers. The training must be relevant to the employees’ job role and day-to-day work.
Visibility is critical to a holistic security model, so this means that employee monitoring should be part of what you do, and employees should understand the reasons and implications for this as well.
Finally, don’t neglect the importance of a recovery plan in holistic network security that includes IP resources and other devices. Yes, the goal is that you don’t have to use it, but even with the best people, governance, and security technology, a breach can occur. You should ready your organization and your employees for how to handle such a situation.
One of the most important takeaways of holistic security best practices is that it’s not enough to simply have the right technology. That technology has to be applied in the right ways.
Too often, organizations make the mistake of being lulled into a false sense of security when they buy the “right” tools, but in doing so, they’re still left open to attacks and threats.
It’s also imperative to know that no industry is immune from cybersecurity requirements, nor is an organization simply because of their size or what they perceive as being a lack of assets that would be of interest to cybercriminals.
A truly holistic cybersecurity approach needs to integrate the human factor, particularly considering that almost all cyberattacks stem from human error, as well as corporate culture.
The following offers a brief overview of what holistic cybersecurity is and the benefits.
What is a Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity?
A holistic approach to cybersecurity means that there are integrated, multi-layered security solutions that are supported by user education and awareness.People and their understanding of security best practices are integral to holistic security. Cybersecurity and its importance have to be part of not only corporate training but corporate culture.
There have to not only be the right processes in place, but the culture and processes of the organization need to reflect cybersecurity as a priority.
You can often compare holistic cybersecurity to holistic health. Holistic health isn’t about treating one illness or one part of a person. It’s about overall wellness, and holistic health integrates many different approaches and is a core focus of a person’s life. It extends to their diet, physical fitness, medical care, and mental health care.
You can see the parallels between this and holistic cybersecurity. Holistic cybersecurity isn’t a one and done situation where you put technology in place, train employees once, and then forget it.
It’s something that’s part of everything done in your business. It’s not just an issue for the IT department or an issue related to technology.
It is part of all areas of a business, and there aren’t silos in an organization with a holistic approach to cybersecurity. Departments and teams are working together to promote the wellness of the organization as a whole.
Governance
When you’re working toward a more holistic approach to cybersecurity, you should begin by mapping out your assets and identify the most important. Then you should gain an understanding of how people are accessing the network. This will help you drill down to areas that need improvement. Once you do that, you can start thinking more about the specific ways you’ll make those improvements.As you’re setting up a system to protect yourself more thoroughly, governance is a big priority.
This means that you have rules and accountability. These things need to be specific, concise, and well-defined.
Employees need to know not only their role in organizational cybersecurity best practices but also the consequences for something that happens as a result of their actions, whether these actions are malicious or are the result of negligence.
Governance is, in many ways the foundation of holistic cybersecurity, perhaps even more than the technology itself.
This is especially important as we see how many data breaches are the result of human action, rather than failures of security technology.
There is too frequently an assumption that employees know what to do, and that assumption many times turns out to be false.
Employee Awareness
Once there are guidelines and governance in place, that’s when it’s time to start making employees aware.Awareness can include training, and this training should heavily focus on helping employees understand the tactics most commonly utilized by attackers. The training must be relevant to the employees’ job role and day-to-day work.
Visibility is critical to a holistic security model, so this means that employee monitoring should be part of what you do, and employees should understand the reasons and implications for this as well.
Finally, don’t neglect the importance of a recovery plan in holistic network security that includes IP resources and other devices. Yes, the goal is that you don’t have to use it, but even with the best people, governance, and security technology, a breach can occur. You should ready your organization and your employees for how to handle such a situation.
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