3 Secrets That Will Maximize Your Cybersecurity Investment

As devastating data breaches make headlines worldwide, more and more organisations are wondering how they can maximize their security efforts and properly protect their valuable assets.

Cybersecurity should be at the top of your agenda this year. We have previously reported on how mid-sized organisations in the UK are worst, and most frequently, affected by cybersecurity breaches. Research shows that while mid-scale organisations are attacked almost as frequently as their larger counterparts, they invest way less in security infrastructure, leaving them vulnerable to phishing attacks and other forms of cyber crime.

It’s time to ensure that the days of having “pay and pray” as your leading cybersecurity strategy are long gone. In this e-guide, we have gathered up 3 industry secrets that will help you maximize your cybersecurity investments in 2018.

Create A Security Roadmap

In order to properly determine the way forward, you will need to know where you are at the moment. We recommend that you use risk as a starting point.

• What does your current risks look like?
• And what future risks are you willing to accept?

The answer to these questions will help you map out your cybersecurity strategy - or your cybersecurity roadmap, if you prefer. From there, the way forward will be paved by your capabilities. How consistent are your security efforts? And do they enable the protection you actually need?

These assessments can help you understand the gaps in your current security strategy, and see where you need to redirect resources in order to achieve your goals and mitigate risks.

Identify Your Most Critical Risks

In order to get a proper overview of your risks, we recommend that you generate a risk heat map.

By using a heat map, you will see where your most critical cybersecurity risks are, thereby pointing out the assets that will benefit the most from your investments.

In other words, the heat map will let you easily visualize and model the types of security control you need in order to meet your level of acceptable risk.

Be Inspired By Industry Benchmarks

Although they should be taken with a grain of salt, industry benchmarks can still be a reasonable starting point for assessing your cyber security efforts.

Industry benchmarks can identify potential security gaps in your organisation. Use them to run initial check on your system, or to initiate a strategy discussion with your IT department. But remember that security investments will not give you ROI unless they are fully compatible with your needs and your situation, in other words -  never make a decision simply because “everyone else is doing” something.

Allow yourself to be inspired - but never forget to tailor benchmarks to your specific needs.

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Planning Is Everything

Cybersecurity isn’t magic - and it certainly doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

If you’re struggling to understand what your target level of security should be, then it’s time to go back to basics. What do you need to secure? Why should you secure it? And what is the most efficient way of doing it? You will get more out of your cybersecurity investment by aligning your roadmap to your actual business requirements.

Remember that cybersecurity should not be a reaction - it should be an actual strategy.

And it’s only by having a strategy in place that you can maximize on your cybersecurity investment in 2018. We understand that it can be challenging and time-consuming to implement a cybersecurity strategy - and that’s why we’re here to help you. Contact Software Advisory Service today, and redeem your complimentary consultation with one of our cybersecurity experts. What are you waiting for?