Reducing Risk Begins with a Cybersecurity Threat Assessment

Reducing Risk Begins with a Cybersecurity Threat Assessment

No organization on the face of the earth is immune to a data breach. Some organizations are more prepared than others to detect and prevent attacks. Some are more prepared to respond to attacks and minimize the damage. But make no mistake, every organization is at risk.

That said, every situation is unique. For healthcare organizations, patient safety could be at risk. For financial institutions, customer bank accounts need to be protected to prevent fraud and identity theft. For retailers, payment card information must be kept isolated from all other systems. Every organization needs a customized security strategy with the right tools to minimize risk.

Security planning should start with a cybersecurity threat assessment that identifies where you stand now so you can develop and implement a plan that gets you where you want to be. It does no good to throw money at the problem and invest in security software and appliances until you know your strengths and weaknesses. Many organizations don’t know what security solutions they already have, what those solutions are capable of, and what could or could not be gained by implementing a new solution.

A cybersecurity threat assessment tells you which business processes are most vulnerable and allows you to develop a risk-based strategy and focus resources accordingly. In other words, do you understand the risk involved with various assets and systems? Are you able to monitor your data from creation to disposal? What are your existing security policies? How are they enforced? How do you deal with lost, stolen or compromised devices? Decisions that answer these and other questions can’t be made in a vacuum.

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to cybersecurity threat assessments, there are several core components that will help you make the exercise productive. First, get the support of senior management. Make sure they understand the value of a cybersecurity threat assessment and the consequences of failing to identify and quantify risk. Identify a single person to lead the assessment process. Second, leave no stone unturned. Your assessment should include all business and IT systems because only one has to be compromised to put the entire organization at risk. Use vulnerability scans to test each system and analyze them from the perspective of a cybercriminal or malicious user.

The next step is to summarize all the data you’ve gathered in a concise report. What did your investigation uncover? What are the biggest areas of need? What are the recommendations for addressing each issue in order of priority? Finally, take action. If you don’t have the resources or expertise in-house, bring in a security expert to help you wade through your data, establish a plan, implement the right security tools and provide oversight to close security gaps.

Verteks cybersecurity threat assessment services will address your questions and concerns about IT security, evaluate your network environment, and create an action plan to optimize your security posture. Key areas include but are not limited to:

  • Identity and Access Management: how to control access to your resources.
  • Application and Data Security: how to ensure your data is protected, internally and externally.
  • Mobility: how to enable remote network access that is both secure and reliable.
  • Compliance: how to implement a strategy that meets industry and government regulatory requirements.
  • Audits: how to manage scheduled third-party audits to ensure compliance.

Cybersecurity is too important to leave to guesswork. Let’s sit down and discuss how to improve the overall security of your organization through a comprehensive threat assessment.


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