Every organisation knows that investing in cybersecurity is an absolute must in the age of digital transformation. For many companies, though, that’s where the process both begins and ends. Investing in a cybersecurity solution is a good start, but keeping your organisation truly protected requires a more proactive approach.
Cybersecurity’s Placebo Problem
The placebo effect in the cybersecurity industry is real, and it’s a bigger problem than many companies realize. It’s tempting for customers to settle for a “set it and forget it” approach to their security needs. Once new cybersecurity tools are in place, these businesses believe protection should take care of itself.
That is a dangerous assumption to make.
In fact, IDG found that 87% of security leaders say their workplaces fall short when it comes to addressing cybersecurity risks. Businesses that suffer breaches may decide that it’s time to upgrade to a new cybersecurity solution, when in fact the successful attack might have been prevented with more efficient use of their existing one.
The threat landscape is dynamic, and constantly evolves. Maintaining security in today’s environment requires focused attention, adaptability, and open lines of communication. Before investing in new technology, organisations should ask themselves two key questions:
- Are we optimising our use of all the cybersecurity resources we already have at our disposal?
- How can our existing workflow and operations be adjusted to better complement our existing security tools?
Once these questions are addressed, it’s time to start incorporating security operations into all aspects of the business.
By approaching your day-to-day processes with an emphasis on security operations, you’ll make it more difficult for bad actors to access your environment unnoticed. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends a security operations approach that follows the following framework:
● Identify all potentially vulnerable systems in your operation, especially those that are critical to your functions and those that involve sensitive data
● Protect each of those systems with an appropriate level of security and training
● Detect threats before they become dangerous via employee training and software solutions
● Respond to threats quickly and efficiently by conducting incident response drills and preparing data breach protocols
● Recover quickly after any cybersecurity incidents via clearly communicated action plans and public relations efforts
At Arctic Wolf, we abide by the adage that effective security is a journey, not a destination. We guide our clients along that journey by working closely alongside our customers’ internal security and IT teams to optimise their existing processes through a security operations approach.
Download our guide to addressing the placebo problem in cybersecurity to learn more about a security operations approach to cybersecurity and discover the ways we can help make it a reality for your organisation.
