Tag Archives: Technology

Mind The Skill Gap: How To Expand Talent In Cybersecurity

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The modern cybersecurity industry has been the subject of much attention in recent years as threats to businesses large and small continue to mount. Even outside of the industry, business experts have correctly concluded that more measures are necessary to counteract aging infrastructure and an increase in possible attack surfaces. The interest exists, but what doesn’t exist is enough personnel to fill the myriad jobs in cybersecurity. And this problem is only expected to get worse as time goes on, with the number of new professionals eclipsed by how much their talents are needed.

The discrepancy in cybersecurity is often blamed on the failure of universities to provide the courses necessary to train the next generation of experts. While this is a noted problem, it is only one of many. The same cybersecurity professionals who scoff at formalized education in the field are often unwilling to invest the resources into training others within their organization, instead preferring to solicit existing talent from other businesses. Though there is significant work involved when it comes to building a reliable team, the reward of cultivating new talent is preferable to poaching the old and widening the skill gap further. It’s a sacrifice, but one that must be made if the industry is to be sustainable moving forward.

The other advantage of in-house training is the integration of cybersecurity practices throughout all of a business’s processes. Too often, organizations view these tools as afterthoughts to be stapled at the end of every project. The reality here is that new systems, products, and infrastructure should be created with cybersecurity in mind. Training and apprenticeship programs provide enough personnel to adequately address anything new coming through the pipeline. This carries the added benefit of allowing new entrants in the industry to receive a hands-on experience with a variety of systems.

And, if a company doesn’t have any place to start when it comes to building in-house cybersecurity firms, a third-party organization can help. These companies can provide support for companies that don’t have the resources to train new experts and build the start of a good security culture. However, even dedicated cybersecurity organizations should be mindful of their practices when it comes to recruiting vs. fostering talent.

It’s also important to consider the kind of training that is being given to aspiring cybersecurity experts. The best way to handle cybersecurity is to start with the broad strokes—the compliance laws that it is absolutely vital that any professional knows. In many cybersecurity courses, emphasis is placed on the products that businesses can use to combat threats. This leads to experts with very specialized knowledge of a specific solution, rather than knowing many brand-agnostic solutions or the compliance standards that underpin the whole industry. Consultants should be neutral when it comes to recommending solutions and find whatever suits an organization’s needs.

The future of cybersecurity will need to be collaborative. Between academic organizations selling their programs to business organizations offering opportunities for interested professionals to learn, a lot needs to change about how new talent is cultivated. In the future, expect to see a new generation of experts that know compliance law inside and out—and that are focused on spreading their best practices to others.

 

 

Why Cybersecurity is Important For Small Businesses

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Most small businesses think themselves beneath notice in the larger corporate world. After all, without the need for IT systems or significant infrastructure, there is less to manage and fewer vulnerabilities to address. Anything related to technology is often an afterthought for small businesses, and many make the mistake of believing that cyber threats are not a potential issue.

The unfortunate reality is that cybercriminals are more than willing to prey on small- to mid-sized businesses, even with bigger targets available. Widespread adoption of technology has made just about every enterprise a potential target. Given the lack of focus on technological infrastructure and fewer resources to dedicate to systems monitoring or recovery after a breach, these organizations are especially vulnerable. And every company has data worth stealing, to sell or use as leverage. The loss of any sensitive information can cost a company in both reputation and capital.

For small businesses, a bit of investment in cybersecurity can keep records safe and ensure that larger losses don’t happen down the line. There’s no need for a dedicated IT team to take necessary precautions when it comes to adopting new technology or infrastructure. The first step is acknowledging that, while small businesses are vulnerable, they are not without options for their own protection.

Many cybersecurity breaches are the result of internal error—I can’t emphasize this enough. As a result, controlling for human mistakes such as weak passwords, clicking on risky emails, and using mobile devices on unsecured networks can go a long way. Many do not realize how many points of vulnerability exist. Small businesses should ensure that the tools in place are easy to use for employees that may not be familiar with these matters.

Mobile devices are such a massive point of vulnerability that it’s worth dedicating time to examine all of the ways that they can go wrong. Between the difficulty inherent in managing them, the risk of public wifi, and employees bringing devices from home, small businesses will have to account for every possible attack surface. Consistent regulation is necessary to ensure that personal and business devices stay safe no matter where they go.

For that matter, small businesses should consider regulating access to certain systems and technology. Though they may not have an IT department or dedicated standards for who can access what, these organizations should consider which systems each employee has a consistent need for. If an employee doesn’t require a system to get their work done, they should not have access.

Planning for a cyberattack should also account for the worst-case scenario of a breach occurring and ease the recovery process. Making backups of everything digital is the best and easiest way that a small business can protect themselves in the event of a breach and allow for the least downtime when something goes wrong. The investment to create on- and off-site backups is minimal, but the safety it provides is huge.

This is only a small sample of the tactics that small businesses can consider when investing in cybersecurity. VPNs, software audits, and proven antivirus software can also provide an additional line of defense. However, any small business should recognize that precautions do not guarantee safety, and may want to consider investing in the services of a third-party cybersecurity firm to assess risk levels and provide scalable solutions. Technology will become even more involved in business, and safe adoption is important for businesses of all sizes.

 

Is the Cloud the Safest Solution for Security?

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Ever since the ransomware attack of WannaCry attacked more than 230,000 across the world, the healthcare industry’s concern over cybersecurity has risen. Although there were no patients harmed in the attack and no data compromised or stolen, there became a serious need for healthcare organizations to strengthen their security. One of the most considered options is to migrate the information to the cloud so it won’t get into the wrong hands again.

Security of the Cloud
Could moving information to the cloud be more secure? It is almost impossible to recover data has been encrypted by a ransomware which makes preventing it from being stolen in the first place so important. Keeping secure data on the cloud would be the best way to keep it backed up instead of on-premises. In the perfect situation, there would be enough warning to isolate a ransomware infection and recover important data. Until then, backing up data on the cloud is an ideal solution.

DRaaS as Prevention
After the attack of WannaCry, the public’s biggest concern was the amount of damage caused by the downtime. A simple backup can restore a production database, but a DRaaS solution will be much faster. This is simply because DR is a system of replication that combines software and the cloud. This system is designed to lower downtime in a data breach and get organizations back on their feet and running in no time. By providing third-party support and geographic diversity, DRaaS gives healthcare organizations better security than secondary sites.

Healthcare Industries’ Opinion
Due to the threats of cybersecurity and hackers attacking healthcare organizations, the industry knows something must be done. The organizations have recognized that using the cloud to strengthen security is the best option. The cloud can be used to manage threats, isolate incidents and backup important data. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt, was the first to sign off on an official guide to help the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) move to the cloud.

Although moving the cloud is favored by most, there are a few concerned about compliance. Many IT Departments in healthcare do not have the correct roles or expertise to implement the cloud into their security. But there are organizations to help those in the health industry to help utilize the cloud in their security. It’s imperative that the health organizations use the cloud technology to beef up their security and take strong measures against cybercriminals.

Get Employees Invested In Cybersecurity

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As summer starts to come to a close and those beach towels get stored in attics for another year, there’s still a genuine danger. Hint: it isn’t sharks.

In fact, the summer months are the most dangerous for enterprises when it comes to cybersecurity. As crimes such as burglary increase in the summer, so too do cyber crimes, as malicious individuals take advantage of employees attempting to access unsecured wifi networks. On top of that, IT departments may be less able to respond to attacks promptly.

Because of this, it is more important than ever for employees to be safe, even when out of the office on vacation. I wrote recently on the value of a cybersecurity education program for enterprises but would like to go more into depth about the steps a company can take to get employees as engaged as possible with using company systems safely.

Don’t Make Training A One-Time Event.

Even if training is very well structured, a single course over an hour or two is unlikely to make a lasting impression. Some experts believe that even repeating this training on an annual basis is unlikely to have the desired effect.

It’s understandable that enterprises wouldn’t want to get locked into regular cybersecurity training, though erring on the side of caution is valuable for any organization. One happy medium is cybersecurity drills, in which false phishing emails are sent to employees. The company can then track how many people clicked on the email, and break down progress by the department. Other types of threats can also be simulated, monitoring progress between training sessions.

Give Employees The Responsibility.

Though every employee should be involved in good cyber practices, it helps if they have somebody to refer to on a moment-to-moment basis when in doubt. Specialized training for employees interested in learning cybersecurity can help an organization create liaisons if dedicated IT staff are not available. This saves companies the trouble of reevaluating IT staffing while expanding the knowledge base among employees.

Make Reporting Easy

Training is entirely pointless if employees do not feel comfortable reporting potential issues. Regardless of who investigates potential threats, it should be simple and easy for employees to flag them if a problem arises. An easily-accessed form can go a long way toward bridging the gap between these employees.

For that matter, it is also valuable to give IT staff education about how to talk to employees about cybersecurity issues. They may not get a good sense of the knowledge level of an average employee, or express their frustration if a colleague makes a mistake. An empathetic approach works best, in which they work to fix problems rather than scold employees for errors. This makes individuals much more willing to come forward with the issues they encounter.

IoT and Cloud Computing: A Revolutionary Relationship

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When tracing the taxonomy of breakthroughs in modern technology, two concepts stand as major stems in terms of progressive innovation: the cloud and the internet of things (IoT). The former has revolutionized the ways in which we store, share, analyze, and manage data across a large user base, speeding up the efficiency and productivity of many industries worldwide. The latter, a concept referring to the connectivity of devices across a potentially widespread network, as changed our perception of interactivity, and it too has revamped many aspects of the working world, from interconnected law enforcement resources to evolving possibilities surrounding smart cities.

Both the cloud and IoT, in themselves, are exciting and reflective of a seemingly limitless array of uses. However, what’s even more fascinating are the ways in which the two concepts are being utilized simultaneously, creating a relationship of vast potential.

Cloud complements

Cloud computing acts as a natural complement to IoT initiatives, mainly since both concepts strive to “increase efficiency in everyday tasks.” In simple terms, IoT’s basic functionality creates a large amount of data, and cloud computing essentially gives this data a “pathway” to travel upon. In an office with a growing dependence on connected technology, for instance, the cloud’s presence can help to facilitate stronger collaboration and quicker data accessibility, allowing workers to access this data both remotely and on location.

Symbiotic security

Both the cloud and IoT have been criticized in the past for potential security concerns, leading some to question their functionality and safety. Respective security debates aside, the IoT/cloud relationship is undeniably fruitful in terms of increased security and privacy measures. The basic nature of IoT has led to an increased emphasis on several aspects of functional infrastructure, namely connectivity, reliability, and computing power. The cloud, in turn, can act as a “backbone” of sorts, helping companies to address these points of interest by means of application programming interfaces (APIs) and backend databases.

Improved functionality

Since IoT is still technically a fledgling technological movement in several regards, its general handling has presented a lack of standards, which has subsequently led to breakdowns in manufacturer communication as well as device integration. However, the cloud can help to sharpen pre-existing IoT systems in terms of their fluidity and architecture. Often, data sets within current IoT systems are “siloed on separate servers,” and their accessibility suffers as a result. Cloud implementation can allow these servers to connect in a more seamless manner, cutting back on data stagnation and ultimately providing these servers with more value. In short, the cloud is able to make the already speedy IoT even faster, all while strengthening its functionality.