In this technologically advanced world, businesses are continuously on the verge of cyber threats and attacks. Yet many of these businesses are still not prepared to fight against these cybersecurity challenges. These cybersecurity threats have created immense and dynamic challenges for companies of all sizes. The deployment of simple yet approachable malware has resultantly reduced the barriers to the entry of hackers which has therefore caused a high probability of cyberattacks. Therefore, it is important for organizations to have a strong network security posture, as this will make them able to potentially inspect and manage various interventions and bottlenecks across the network.
Although prevention is better than cure, it is not always feasible. A clever move for this type of concern is to take actions against the intrusions involved while adopting intelligent real-time defense, and formulating detailed action plans and procedures to deal with any harmful events that occur. Before discussing deep into the steps which an organization can follow to make its security posture better, you must first be able to understand what actually a security posture is?
What is a security posture?
The overall collective security status of an organization including software, hardware, networks, services, and information is referred to as the security posture. However, a company's security posture must not be static. Instead, it must be constantly changing in response to new vulnerabilities and threats in the field of cybersecurity.
Now let us draw your attention towards the steps which can be taken by an organization to improve its cybersecurity posture;
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Carry out a risk assessment – The first step towards the security of your organization is to determine what level of risks your organization is in a position to tolerate and what types of risks are intolerable or destructive for your organization. Generally, this assessment is carried out because every organization is different from each other, their workflows are different, hence the risks involved in the business operations will also vary. That’s why identifying which risks are harmful for your organization is very important before you took another step.
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Jot down a list of networks you have – It is important to have a list of devices because the number of endpoints available on the system is rapidly growing, from printers to security cameras to smartphones. You are only able to protect your network from vulnerabilities if you have a complete and clear understanding of your devices.
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Implement a software testing method – Either you go for manual testing or automation testing and even a mix of both methods, it is crucial to implement any of the methods to ensure that your software products are well enough secured before launching or going live with them. You can consult any reliable independent software testing company that can provide you with a guideline of which method of testing to go for.
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Trace security metrics – Security indicators provide your organization with a way to properly evaluate the effectiveness of your security practices. These indicators can also help determine ways to reduce risks and identify future risk priorities. With this in mind, the effectiveness of the indicator program depends largely on the indicators you decide to measure, so it is essential that you track the indicators that affect the company from a functional and strategic perspective.
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Aware or train your employees – Your organization may be exposed to a list of cyber-attacks if your employees are not well enough aware and trained on the types of cyber risks involved. During the process of onboarding candidates within your team, each employee must be provided with safety training, and the course setting depends on the job function and qualifications.
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Conduct a root cause analysis – If an incident or violation does occur, it must be regarded as a learning opportunity. Organizations might think that checking all boxes will make your data safe, but new attack vectors are discovered every day. For the sake of determining the reason behind the problem and also to come up with potential remedies, it is important to conduct a root cause analysis.
Conclusion
In this digital world, it is crucial for organizations to be more cognizant of their safety and security. Security assessments are helpful in this regard for the organizations to sketch and develop appropriate network security roadmaps in their business continuity (BC) planning and overall security plans. Moreover, assessing the security posture provides an overall view of the internal and external security threats to an organization. It is therefore important to follow the above-mentioned steps to make your security posture better for the purpose of ensuring safe and secure business operations.
