Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Why haven’t you updated your security policies?
While you’re sipping that pumpkin spice latte, make sure to review your company’s cybersecurity policies.
Image: Shutterstock/zephyr-p
One could say that business these days is a corn maze of sorts. While some companies are trying to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) into their daily work, others are still scrambling to develop remote work policies. And unfortunately, serious cybersecurity threats are looming around every corner.
According to the study “IBM Report: Cost of a Data Breach Hits Record High During Pandemic” by IBM and the Ponemon Institute, data breaches cost surveyed companies a whopping $4.24 million per incident on average, the highest number recorded in 17 years.
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Go ahead and put that stat on your lawn for Halloween this year—it’s truly terrifying. Luckily, you can combat these threats within your own business by reviewing and updating your security policies and procedures. And since it’s October, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, now is a perfect time.
These TechRepublic Premium resources can help you with everything from developing security alert emails to providing your employees with the tips they need to secure their digital information.
True security starts with your staff. From passwords to badges worn for company access, proper security steps must be followed to protect your business. Now is a great time to remind your staff of all the necessary security steps. These ready-made, no writing required, email templates are easy to copy and paste. Use them to deliver regularly scheduled communications to raise awareness and spread the word about new security procedures.
Does your entire enterprise understand the necessary steps to take after an information technology security-related incident? These steps should be outlined in a security incident response policy and shared widely within your company. Having a written policy is one of the best ways to ensure your staff knows how to mitigate each threat. This sample policy can be used as a jumping-off point for the development or update of your own company policy. It includes in-depth response details and monitoring information as well as violations and penalties.
Remote work is now the norm for many businesses, resulting in employees accessing company information from various places and on many unique devices. And even if your staff has returned to the office, tons of digital information is still widely shared across your network daily. This critical information must be secured to protect your business from intrusive cyber threats. This checklist includes 13 key actions you can take today to properly secure your company’s digital information.
Author Brenna Miles is a full-time content writer and tech freelancer. Since 2013, she’s written everything from blog posts to industry white papers about everything from SaaS to network security and back again.
