What is Your Security Posture? 

Taking a Look at Your Security Posture

Cybercrime is getting worse as time goes on. Hackers are attacking every 39 seconds. You’ve likely heard about the basics: anti-virus software, strong passwords, firewalls. But is that enough? The simplest answer: no way. You need a more advanced cybersecurity strategy, but that starts with understanding your security posture. Do you know:

• How quickly you’re detecting threats on the network?
• What endpoints are protected vs. left open to threats?
• Whether or not you’re prepared to eradicate viruses as soon as possible?
• How to respond to an attack if you’re not able to prevent it?
• When patches and updates are available, and if so, are they applied right away?

Your security posture refers to your ability to defend against cybercrime with the right tools, processes, and procedures. It’s all about having an understanding of your environment:

• Network
• Computers
• Peripheral devices
• Data
• People

However, your security posture is never static. Instead, it should always be changing to respond to the evolving world of cybercrime. If you have fragmented tools in place, that’s simply not enough.

Why your security posture matters

Organizations of all types and sizes are targets for cybercriminals. Small businesses, especially, are targets because it’s easier to target multiple small businesses with fewer security measures than one large corporation with advanced security measures. Small businesses account for roughly 43% of cyber attack victims. Let’s take a look at the most common causes of a data breach to keep in mind:

1. Vulnerabilities or backdoors in applications
2. Social engineering via email or websites
3. A lack of access controls on systems
4. User errors in terms of configuration
5. Weak, shared or reused login credentials
6. Disgruntled employees and other insider threats

How to improve your security posture

There are various layers when it comes to understanding and improving your security posture. Here are our recommended steps:

Perform a risk assessment

First and foremost, a risk assessment should be used to identify the level of risk currently presented in terms of your assets. You should review all of your systems, processes, and procedures to identify areas that are weak and need improvement.

Create a cybersecurity framework

A cybersecurity framework is a series of documentation that outlines your best practices, policies, and procedures necessary to achieve your preferred, or in some cases, required by law cybersecurity standards.

Start with addressing vulnerabilities

Go through your list of vulnerabilities found in your risk assessment and address them before anything else. Keep in mind, you should be ranking those vulnerabilities according to the risk they pose to the organization.

Implement enterprise-grade security tools

Enterprise-grade security tools are necessary for businesses of all types and sizes. This should include your basics, such as anti-virus software and spam filtering, as well as more complex tools like multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection software, and firewalls.

Provide ongoing security awareness training

Your team members will need ongoing security awareness training that covers the different types of threats out there – both known and emerging – as well as how to respond to them appropriately.

Get Started Now

1. Book a meeting with our team of qualified security professionals
2. Undergo your risk assessment to determine areas that need improvement
3. Start feeling secure with your business, and in turn, your livelihood

Call (613) 828-1280 to learn more about improving your security posture right away.