With the growth of interconnected devices and machines within the Industrial Internet of Things, it has become even more critical to protect your business from cyber-attacks. Whether it’s protecting the personal information of your clients or safeguarding proprietary software from rogue hackers, cybersecurity may be the most important facet in the modern business model. Below we’ll discuss the basics of cybersecurity, explore some modern examples of cybersecurity in other organizations, and extrapolate on how you can leverage aspects of cybersecurity to improve the safety of your internal network.
Cybersecurity is defined as “the protection of internet-connected systems such as hardware, software, and data from cyber-threats. The practice is used by individuals and enterprises to protect against unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems." It’s easy to see why cybersecurity is such a critical part of a business’s online platform. Whether your business conducts transactions and handles the financial information of your customers or stores confidential information, cybersecurity is necessary to prevent data from getting into the hands of nefarious individuals.
Many modern hospitals are in the process of entirely digitizing their workspace - charts, patient information, medical history, etc.. Instead of paperwork being manually filed as was the norm years ago, patient information is being uploaded onto various databases for easier access. But what happens if a cyber attack suddenly exposes thousands of patients' personal information? Breaking HIPAA compliance and leaking sensitive information would lead to potentially millions of dollars in fines and damages for the hospital.
Just within the past few years, Target dealt with a similar issue where hackers stole customer credit card information, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers vulnerable to thieves. By implementing stronger encryption and cybersecurity measures, companies can avoid catastrophic events such as this and continue to keep consumers safe.
Perhaps the key to improving the cybersecurity of your business is to develop and strengthen your company’s cyber resilience. Cyber resilience is “the ability of an organization to prepare, respond, and recover when cyberattacks happen. An organization has cyber resilience if it can defend itself against these attacks, limit the effects of a security incident, and guarantee the continuity of its operation during and after the attacks." Commonly used in conjunction with cybersecurity practices, cyber resilience helps to protect against a myriad of threats such as cybercrime, hacktivism, and cyber espionage. Below we’ll break down the four main pillars of cyber resilience and discuss how they can help protect your business from attacks:
Distinctions between cybersecurity and cyber resilience
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