Why a cybersecurity assessment? A robust cybersecurity posture is no longer a luxury— it’s a necessity. Cyberattacks are becoming more and more sophisticated and happen more frequently, and if you think you’re not a target, think again! Cyber criminals are not only targeting big companies anymore.
It’s essential to protect your business to ensure business continuity and mitigate the ever-growing risks posed by the growing cyberattacks. But how do you know if a cybersecurity assessment would be helpful for your organization?
Here are five key signs:
1. Frequent security incidents
If your business experiences frequent security incidents, no matter how small, it is a clear indication that a cybersecurity assessment could be useful (read: is necessary). Even the smallest breaches (and definitely the major data leaks) suggest that there are vulnerabilities in your current security infrastructure.
Each incident impacts your organization and can lead to various and multiple damages, such as compromising sensitive information, damaging customer trust, and causing significant financial losses.
Moreover, the absence of an incident response plan makes the problem even worse. Even the most prepared organizations can be the target of cyberattacks. When an attack happens it is key to have a well defined incident response plan in place, this ensures you can minimize the damage and make sure you have a swift recovery.
With a cybersecurity assessment we can identify the weak points and provide you with actionable insights. This gives you the chance to develop one of these response plans tailored to your organization.
2. Lack of visibility on your security posture
Just like the warning lights in your car, monitoring tools are essential for cybersecurity. These are one of the tools that will give you the visibility you need within your company. What we see quite often is when organizations undergo rapid growth and/or some form of significant business transformation, it can lead to blind spots in their security posture. If your business lacks tools like a robust monitoring system, you might be oblivious to suspicious activity until it’s too late.
A cybersecurity assessment can help you establish a comprehensive strategy to detect and respond to threats promptly.
3. Outdated systems, policies and procedures:
Technology evolves so fast, and so do cyber threats. If your business relies on outdated operating systems, applications, or security protocols, you’re leaving gaping holes in your defenses. Moreover, outdated policies and procedures can be just as destructive and harmful as outdated systems. (So it does not always have the people a technical issue).
We notice these cases very often in complex environments and organizations where there exists an inefficient way of working.
With a cybersecurity assessment, we can identify these vulnerabilities and recommend a strategy with different steps to improve the control of your cybersecurity and prevent vulnerabilities from remaining undetected for too long.
4. Feeling overwhelmed by cybersecurity and regulations:
Cybersecurity can be complex and daunting. If you feel overwhelmed by the volume of information and don’t know where to begin, a cybersecurity assessment will be a good starting point. It can provide a clear picture of your current cybersecurity posture, identify areas of improvement, and offers something to hold on to, so you can keep moving forward.
With the introduction of new regulations like NIS2 (Directive 2022/3555), understanding and complying with these requirements can be challenging. Click here for more information.
5. Lack of employee cybersecurity awareness:
And last but not least, the state of awareness of your employees, partners and in expansion every person who has some kind of relation to your organization can be a major sign you need a cybersecurity assessment.
Think about:
- A doorman can pose a threat if they let anyone and everyone in…
- The responsible for safely destroying waste might not follow procedures and could scatter sensitive papers…
- Or.. the CEO’s son who posts something on Facebook that can be used against his father/mother…
In most situations common sense plays a crucial role, so it’s your (and our) responsibility to create awareness around information and cybersecurity so that everyone is aware and has that needed common sense.
In conclusion: people are most of the time still the weakest link and remain a leading cause of cyberattacks. Employees who lack awareness of phishing scams, social engineering tactics, and best security practices can, without their knowledge, compromise your organization’s data.
A cybersecurity assessment can evaluate your current employee training programs and recommend improvements to strengthen your human “firewall”.
Don't wait for a cyberattack to become a cybersecurity champion.
Are you ready to take the driver’s seat?
ACEN is happy to be your co-pilot!
Get in contact with William, our cybersecurity advisor, for all your questions or to get started!
