Dale Carnegie of the Carnegie fortune once said, “An hour of planning can save you ten hours of doing." We live in a fast-paced world where the time for “doing” is at a premium. This means plans are a requirement. This is true especially when dealing with our digital world, where things can change from a steady state to a crisis at a moment’s notice.
Today, we’re looking at investing time in a cybersecurity strategy that will save you 10x the effort down the road. To follow along in a more entertaining format, check out Pwned podcast episode 184. Here we go.
Step 1: Ask and Understand
The single most important component in every cybersecurity strategy is understanding your business thoroughly. This step involves several elements.
Business Alignment: Begin by determining the core business functions powered by technology. Understanding where technology intersects with business success is essential.
Tolerance for Change: Assess the organization's readiness and willingness to adapt and implement security measures. Knowing the tolerance for changes and the level of support for security improvements informs how you position your strategy.
Future Plans: Explore the organization's upcoming plans for changes. How will the technology and the business environment evolve? What strategies are already in motion?
Identifying Supporters and Challengers: Recognize individuals internally who may either support or challenge your security ideas. Identify who the key stakeholders are for approving security decisions.
Step 2: Apply Your Expertise
With a deep understanding of your business in place, you are now ready to apply your knowledge to define the appropriate security controls and measures.
Take stock of threats, vulnerabilities, and risks specific to your organization. It's important to strike a balance between security and usability. Here, pacing is crucial – you don't need to implement everything at once.
Determine controls: Create a comprehensive list of security controls, policies, and operational measures that should be in place based on your understanding of the business.
Collaborate: Engage with other departments and stakeholders to understand their perspectives and to address any potential conflicts up front. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
Educate and build consensus: As a security leader, educate others about the importance of your recommendations and involve them in the decision-making process. Building consensus is vital to ensure everyone is aligned and creates a feeling of co-ownership in the effort.
Step 3: Measure Progress
Now that you have your security controls in place, it's time to assess how well you are implementing them. This step involves measuring your progress and identifying any gaps. It's also an opportunity to involve key stakeholders for feedback and keep them informed.
Continuous Monitoring: Regularly review and assess the effectiveness of your security controls. Identify areas where improvements are needed.
Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with the teams responsible for various aspects of security. Ensure that everyone is aware of their individual role and responsibilities in maintaining security.
Dependencies Matter: Be aware of the dependencies between different security measures. Some prerequisites may need to be addressed before the next steps can be taken.
Step 4: Create and Communicate
The final step involves formalizing your cybersecurity strategy and ensuring its ongoing application, relevance, and effectiveness. You are working to create a living, breathing strategy that evolves with your organization's needs.
Documentation: Document your strategy, including the controls, policies, and procedures. Communicate your plan to all stakeholders.
Transparency: Ensure transparency by reporting progress regularly. Keep stakeholders informed about the status of security initiatives.
Engagement and Consensus: Continuously engage with stakeholders, maintain consensus, and adapt your strategy as needed. Avoid surprises and keep everyone on the same page. You cannot over-communicate.
Security is not just a technical challenge; it's a human and organizational one as well, and while this post identifies the four major steps to put a security strategy together, there is a critical bonus step to ensure its longevity.
Bonus Step 5: Continuous Improvement and Adaptation
Continuous improvement and maintenance are essential aspects of any effective cybersecurity strategy. This step involves regularly reviewing and refining your strategy to address emerging threats, technological advancements, and changing business needs. Integrate this step into your strategy with these processes:
Regular Assessments: Conduct periodic assessments and audits of your cybersecurity strategy. Evaluate its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
Threat Intelligence: Stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and trends. Incorporate threat intelligence into your strategy to proactively anticipate new risks.
Technology Evolution: As technology evolves, assess whether your existing security measures and tools are still effective. Consider adopting new technologies and solutions when necessary.
Training and Awareness: Ensure that employees receive ongoing cybersecurity training and awareness. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and a well-informed workforce is a critical defense against threats.
Incident Response Planning: Continuously refine your incident response plan based on lessons learned from security incidents and breaches.
Regulatory Compliance: Stay informed about changes in cybersecurity regulations and compliance requirements. Update your strategy to align with any new legal requirements.
Communication: Maintain open communication channels with stakeholders and regularly update them on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and the measures being taken to protect the organization.
Folding this fifth step into your cybersecurity strategy keeps your organization agile, adaptive, and responsive to an ever-changing threat environment, and ultimately improves your security readiness.
An ongoing process
Building a cybersecurity strategy is an ongoing process that requires upfront planning and careful consideration. These four steps can guide you through the process of protecting your organization for today, and the future.
TLDR?
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