ARTICLE
Cybersecurity Is A Vital Team Sport
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Historically, cybersecurity-related functions have been the responsibility of IT departments. In recent years cyberattacks have been increasing in frequency and severity at remarkable rates, impacting the entire organization. Knowing that, should the IT department in your company have total accountability if a breach occurs?
To play it smart, it should be a team sport consisting of key employees from various departments throughout the organization collaborating closely with IT. It’s a great time to start identifying key stakeholders across your company and to enforce that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility – employees need to help defend against cybercriminals!
Do you know who is responsible for cybersecurity within your company? Most organizations are aware of the risk but don’t always understand how vulnerable their company may be—regardless of size or industry. In a survey conducted by ThoughtLab, 30% of executives said their budgets aren’t sufficient to ensure proper cybersecurity, while several pointed out that cybercriminals are better funded. 41% think their security initiatives have kept up with digital transformation.
So, who are the cybersecurity MVPs in your organization? It is important to look at your organization holistically to define which teams are critical to your success. Let’s look at the key departments of an organization that are part of a broader integrated team for thwarting potential threats.
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With the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. up 7.6% in 2022 to $9.44 million, companies can’t afford not to step up their cybersecurity efforts across all functions of their business.
Article Sections
Player 1: Finance
The finance team within your organization plays a crucial role in looking at possible risks to the company’s infrastructure—and the cost to replace or upgrade should a breach happen—along with managing the spend on security as a whole.
IT is generally a non-revenue-generating division, and in many cases, leaders are rewarded based on a reduction in expenditure vs. budget, leaving critical IT processes and people sidelined. A “we will fix it when it breaks” or “it won’t happen to us” attitude can be a risky short-term mindset that puts more companies at risk for an actual breach. CFOs should understand the costs associated with not having proper long-term security practices & protocols in place.
The right team and/or partner can help evaluate and plan long-term sustainability. Therefore, it’s critical to have a CFO that can manage and better map out all the risks on a play-by-play basis and account for broader systemic risks for your organization.
Player 2: HR
Most people believe that the human resources department does not need to worry about cybersecurity data attacks; however, HR has a lot of sensitive employee data and records and can help make a difference at the forefront —especially during the recruitment and education of employees through various training courses.
It’s ideal to have a dedicated HR team member collaborate with key security professionals at their company to ensure employee records and data are safe from a cyberattack. They are also responsible for notifying law enforcement and taking disciplinary action if necessary.
In some organizations, HR may run the cybersecurity e-learning program, whereas, in other organizations, it falls under the IT departments. 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error, making proper training, policies, and procedures a key play for the HR team.
They are also in a fantastic position to prevent attacks by completing a risk assessment that can expose threats within the organization, like an unsecured workstation.
What does company culture have to do with HR or cybersecurity? Securing your perimeter starts at the beginning when an employee joins the team. HR leaders can be cybersecurity cheerleaders for organizations that don’t have processes in place.
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Player 3: Marketing
In theory, marketing should also care about cybersecurity within their department. But why?
With digital transformation key to many businesses, marketing teams are more focused on prospects and customers and how to develop personalized and engaging experiences.
To do this successfully, customer data is collected and analyzed by the team without realizing the customer data could become a prime target for a cybersecurity breach. With just one click, customer data is captured. But what data is the marketing team collecting? How is it being used? How is it stored, and is the company protecting the data they have? It’s critical for marketers to understand the cyber risks and what those risks have to do with customer privacy. After all, trust is the cornerstone of inbound marketing methodology. And a marketer is the steward of customer data.
Not only do consumers increasingly demand data privacy and protection, but governments are mandating it as well. Are your company data management practices following the regulatory rules of the game?
One breach is damaging to a company’s brand and reputation, impacting the perception of potential customers. For any company, the goal is to build trust by engaging customers long-term. Increasingly this means protecting your customers’ security, too.
Player 4: Legal
Much like the other departments, the legal department handles sensitive information, making them a prime target for a cyber breach.
Legal departments must collaborate closely with IT departments to identify risks and assist with compliance and company liability, helping guide the overall company security strategy, while ensuring policies comply with global and domestic regulations.
A key part of this strategy should be identifying risks, and how to better manage data protection and compliance in addition to cybersecurity—particularly of key documents and information.
What level of security is needed for each type of data your organization needs to store? If it is compromised, would it do any harm to the organization? Legal can work with IT and IT partners and vendors to develop the strongest security game plan.
Player 6: IT
In today’s digital-first, hybrid work world, IT departments are key players in keeping systems operational.
However, cross-functional teamwork is needed if they are going to level the playing field against cyberthreat. Collaboration and executive support are what is needed to drive real change within an organization. If the group cannot come together for the common good, then you may be increasing your risk of a security breach.
Player 7: Employees
When it comes to cybersecurity, your employees are your defensive line.
The truth is that all employees are responsible for maintaining cybersecurity by following training and controls and protecting sensitive data. One click, misstep, or social engineering fumble can be disastrous in terms of cybersecurity.
Having employees trained to look out for suspicious emails, such as requests to purchase Starbucks or Amazon gift cards, is a must. It’s important that proper maintenance and security of personal and corporate devices are monitored and checked frequently. Any employee using a company device should understand and follow company security policies. When it comes to cybersecurity, the best offense is a good defense, and with properly trained employees as your human firewall, your company is better prepared to shield against human-focused cyberattacks.
Empowering employees to be actively involved in cybersecurity is an overall win for the company. Encourage them to make effective choices and to speak up if something seems abnormal. Lead with empathy. When employees tell you they don’t understand the security procedure, reach out and see if you can understand their concerns.
Closing Thoughts
When an organization comes together to work as a team, it makes it much harder for a potential cybercriminal to gain access. Good security comes when the right solution is in place and playbooks and procedures are easy for the organization to understand and follow. Developing and communicating company policies will help reinforce a security culture at a time when cybersecurity is constantly changing. At the end of the day, companies should aim to create a workplace with empowered employees who are fully invested in the success of the company, which is a winning security strategy.
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A Guide For How Gaming Organizations Can Tackle I.T. and Security Hurdles
Today’s digital landscape has changed how the gaming industry operates, introducing new platforms, devices, and even business models. With the rise of online gaming and the exponential popularity of smartphones, gaming organizations need to adapt, pivoting with consumer behaviors. But this technological shift has also opened the door to more cybercrime than ever.
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Learn how to strengthen your defenses against modern cybercriminals with this eBook.
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