Supercharge Your IT Security Strategy With a Process- and Human-Centric Approach

In this age of digital transformation, businesses are always on the lookout for the next technological advancement that can give them an edge over their peers. Although new technologies are transforming how businesses operate today, they also come with risks and challenges. Successful digital transformation requires preparing your organization to face and overcome these risks.

This blog will discuss how to supercharge your IT security with a process- and human-centric approach.

Digital transformation and security risks

One of the key side effects of rapid digital transformation is the change it brings to the organization’s IT department. Digital transformation means more applications, accounts, sensitive information and passwords. However, this increase in sensitive material also creates more opportunities for security risks. Some of the critical risks associated with digital transformation are:

• Cyberthreats: Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for their next payday and often devise sophisticated strategies to attack a company’s IT infrastructure. These threats include phishing, ransomware, denial of service attacks and SQL injection.
• Loss of critical information: One of the direct consequences of a cyberattack is the information loss associated with it. Most cybercriminals profit by selling the sensitive information they stole from businesses. Without stringent security measures, your trade secrets or customer information could be in the open for the highest bidder.
• Vulnerabilities from third parties: Most companies adopt new technologies by leveraging the services offered by various third-party companies. For this, you must open your infrastructure to multiple vendors. As a result, any vulnerabilities in their products or services could also affect your company’s security.
• Issues in rapid transformation: When companies rush through their digital transformation, they may often increase the risk of their exposure and other vulnerabilities. For instance, when companies incorporate unknown tools to speed up their digital transformation, it may also increase their vulnerabilities to internal and external threats.

A process-driven and human-centric approach to security

The first step in any security strategy is to assess your current security status. Once you have identified your strengths and vulnerabilities, you can incorporate the right security measures without any missteps.

Effective implementation of cybersecurity measures requires two critical elements — solid processes and a people-centric approach. Let’s discuss their significance.

Process-driven approach to cybersecurity

In most organizations, cybersecurity resources are limited, with a finite number of security tools and people to manage the security. However, with the right processes, you can easily define how your security tools must function, your people’s roles and the documentation required to ensure seamless information flow.

Risk mitigation requires a systematic approach that begins with identifying the security gaps and concludes with incorporating the right solution. Besides helping you identify what you need to overcome cybersecurity risks, a process-driven approach can also boost efficiency and minimize expenses. For instance, a process-driven system helps you identify the right number of security products to ensure protection. This prevents you from spending money on unrequired security solutions.

Also, cybersecurity is a continuous, iterative process that must go on forever. You must develop a process-driven framework to identify the steps to incorporate effective cybersecurity measures. This will make cybersecurity an ongoing process rather than a one-and-done measure.

People-centric approach to security

Processes are vital to enforce cybersecurity, but they are ineffective without people following them correctly. You must also incorporate a people-centric approach in your cybersecurity strategy. Moreover, cybercriminals use social engineering attacks, such as phishing, to carry out attacks that exploit human behavior to gain control over an IT infrastructure.

A people-centric approach to cybersecurity can prevent these types of attacks. This approach involves building awareness of various attacks, providing employees with the correct knowledge and empowering them to play an active role in the organization’s defense strategy.

Besides providing security awareness training, organizations must also periodically assess their employees’ ability to recognize potential security threats. For instance, you can simulate phishing attacks and see how many people in your organization still fall prey to these attacks. Specialized training must be provided to those who score low on these tests. With the right strategy, people can be your strongest line of defense against security threats instead of being weak links.

Supercharging your IT security with IT Glue

To create a process- and human-centric approach, you must get your operational processes in order and in a centralized database. You can make it possible by leveraging a robust documentation tool like IT Glue. IT Glue can help you document your processes effectively and make them accessible in one place your entire team can access seamlessly. With easy access and flow of IT information, you can expect smoother everyday operations, increased efficiencies across various functions, and enhanced security.

To learn how IT Glue can help you supercharge your IT security,