Take Your Cybersecurity to the Next Step: A Guide to Cyber Resilience

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when thinking about cybersecurity. With data breaches and cyberattack attempts happening every 39 seconds, it can be hard to know what steps you should take to protect your business from cyberthreats. That’s why we put together this guide—we’ll give you the tools and resources you need to build a strong foundation for cyber resilience.

What Is Cyber Resilience?

resilience spelled with white letters on red colored stonesYou know what “resilience” means, but we usually use it when talking about mental or physical toughness, like a top-performing Olympic athlete. But your IT needs to be tough, too!

Cyber resilience is your ability to anticipate, prevent, and respond quickly to a cyberthreat. It’s the process of protecting your business’s assets (like data and systems) and ensuring that you can recover quickly and effectively from a cyberattack.

Building cyber resilience requires a holistic approach to cybersecurity and risk management because with the great power of the Internet comes great responsibility to keep your customers’ data safe. Because of those threats, basic cybersecurity doesn’t cut it anymore.

Think about it this way: using modern technology without good cybersecurity is like doubling the speed limit and not requiring a seatbelt. It’s a risky choice that could have serious consequences. That’s why it’s important to build a cyber-resilient foundation for your business.

What Cybersecurity Practices Do Cyber-Resilient Businesses Follow?

Businesses that are serious about achieving cyber resilience incorporate multiple layers of security into their operations. Here are six practices to increase your cyber resilience.

Compliance

Compliance is a key factor when it comes to achieving cyber resilience. It involves understanding and adhering to relevant laws and regulations, as well as industry standards and best practices, to protect an organization’s data and systems from malicious attacks.

Compliance ensures that businesses have the necessary security controls in place, such as encryption of data at rest or in transit, password complexity requirements, and other security solutions. Keeping up with changes to compliance standards is essential for staying cyber-resilient.

Regular Testing and Monitoring

You’ll never know if your security is working unless you regularly test it. Cyber resilience requires testing and monitoring your networks, systems, and applications to detect potential weaknesses that an attacker could exploit.

Regularly running vulnerability scans can help identify areas of risk, such as open ports or outdated software versions that are vulnerable to attack. Continuous network monitoring is also important for detecting threats in real time.

Data Backup & Recovery Policies

Data is the backbone of your business—without it, you’re starting from scratch. But if you create solid backup and recovery policies, you can pick up where you left off in case of a disaster. Your policies should include regular backups, secure storage locations, and detailed guidelines for restoring systems in case of emergency.

You’ll also want to have a plan in place for testing backups regularly to ensure they are working correctly.

Regular Employee Training

Employees can be the strongest tool in your cybersecurity toolbelt if you train them well. They are the gatekeepers when technology fails, so it’s important to train them on basic security measures and policies.

They should be aware of social engineering attacks, phishing scams, and other malicious tactics that hackers use to gain access to your systems.

Business Continuity Solutions

If your electricity company was hacked, you’d be worried about your information getting stolen, but we bet you’d also be worried about keeping your lights on too. Every business should have a plan that outlines how they’ll continue operations in the event of an attack or natural disaster.

Business continuity solutions include backup power systems, mobile data centers, and remote work capabilities. By having these solutions in place ahead of time, you can keep your business running no matter what comes your way.

Utilize Latest Innovations

Would you prefer to get major surgery done with tools from the 80s or the latest technology that numbs pain and speeds up recovery time? We’re not saying you have to apply every single invention that hits the market, but keeping up with tools that streamline your day-to-day and help you stay secure is vital to cyber resilience.

From artificial intelligence (AI) to user behavior analytics, there are simple tools out there that help you stay ahead of attackers and keep your data safe.

What Role Does a Managed Service Provider Play in Implementing Cyber Resilience?

Managed service providers (MSPs) are an invaluable asset when it comes to implementing cyber resilience. An MSP can help you understand and manage the complex security requirements of your organization, as well as provide 24/7 monitoring and incident response services.

They also have the expertise to keep up with changes in compliance standards and help you weed through the sea of tools and solutions available. Instead of spending money on things you don’t need and leaving your data open to hackers, an MSP can help you create a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy.

Become Cyber Tough with the Help of Common Angle

The key to cyber resilience is using the right security measures, policies, and technologies. When you partner with Common Angle, you’ll build a cyber resilience strategy that covers everything you need without paying for anything you don’t.

From consulting and compliance guidance to employee training and incident response planning, we have the experience and expertise to make sure your organization is tough enough for anything. Schedule a consultation today to see how Common Angle can help you avoid cyber disasters.