Organisations’ 5 biggest information security concerns
When implementing defences to keep data secure, organisations should put a lot of effort into preventing external actors penetrating them. However, as the 2018 BCI Horizon Scan Report reminds us, there are many other things to prepare for. The report asked more than 650 respondents about the most significant threats facing their organisation and the steps they’re taking to mitigate them. According to the report, the biggest concerns are:
- Cyber attack
Cyber attacks are, unsurprisingly, organisations’ top concern. There are many ways cyber criminals can target organisations. Each will cause different kinds of damage and need to be defended against in different ways. Some attacks, such as phishing campaigns, are typically designed to steal personal data. Others, such as ransomware and denial-of-service attacks, have several possible aims, ranging from extorting money to disrupting business operations for political reasons.
- Data breach
Organisations can lose data in any number of ways. Cyber attacks are the most reported cause of data breaches, but malicious insiders and employee negligence pose a significant risk too – and in some industries, they are the biggest threat. No matter how an organisation is breached, it’s typically because of a lack of technological defences and poor information security policies (or a failure to enforce them).
- Unplanned IT and telecom outages
Organisations should be prepared for technology to simply stop working. Systems crash, files are lost and documents go missing. When the problem isn’t immediately obvious, you’ll need to halt or limit the amount of work that can be done until you find out what’s wrong.
- Interruption to utility supply
If your organisation’s water, gas or electricity is compromised, your business operations will probably be affected. Without power, your systems won’t run, and you wouldn’t expect your employees to work if you didn’t have running water. There’s also the threat of physical damage. An electrical problem or burst water or sewage pipe could damage your building and infrastructure, making it unsafe. In that event, you’d have to close off part or all of your office until the issue was resolved.
- Adverse weather
Bad weather can severely disrupt your organisation, with anything from strong winds to heavy snow potentially leading to downtime. Weather’s unpredictability makes the disruption even more frustrating, but evaluating your environment means you can assess the likelihood of certain weather events and plan for them accordingly.
How to prepare for disruptions
You can address whatever concerns your organisation has by implementing a BCMS (business continuity management system). A BCMS is a comprehensive approach to organisational resilience. It helps organisations update, control and deploy effective plans, which will enable them to recover promptly from any incident affecting business-critical processes and activities – from the failure of a single server to the complete loss of a major facility.
Even the most secure organisations are vulnerable to cyber attacks and unplanned disruptions, so it’s imperative that you protect against data loss and mitigate the damage when an incident inevitably occurs.
How Vigilant Software can help
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Suitable for organisations of all sizes, vsRisk Cloud is a leading information security risk assessment tool that delivers fast, accurate, auditable and hassle-free risk assessments year after year. Fully aligned with ISO 27001, it significantly cuts the consultancy costs typically associated with information security risk assessments, and helps protect your organisation from the financial penalties and losses associated with data breaches.
The Data Flow Mapping Tool simplifies the process of creating data flow maps, giving you a thorough understanding of the personal data your organisation processes and why, where it is held and how it is transferred.
Avoid spending significant time and money researching relevant laws and regulations for your organisation, with Compliance Manager. The software makes it easy to identify your legal and regulatory information security requirements.
Find out more about protecting your organisation from a data breach
Watch our short introductory videos: vsRisk Cloud, Data Flow Mapping Tool and Compliance Manager.
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*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Vigilant Software Blog authored by Ingrid Then-Guiraut. Read the original post at: https://www.vigilantsoftware.co.uk/blog/organisations-5-biggest-information-security-concerns/
