Danny Kerdijk (Security Consultant) & Edwin Roetgering (Presales Consultant)
It’s impossible to predict when and where security threats may emerge, but this doesn’t mean you need to live in fear of security flaws. Rather than panicking when cyber security is mentioned, it’s key to take an assured approach. Security needs to become a basic necessity when you implement any new service or product, and whenever you engage with partners, customers and providers.
In this age of evolving cyber security threats, many large organisations now set minimum security requirements for all their partners. They won’t consider any provider that can’t demonstrate strong security credentials. It’s more vital than ever, therefore, to demonstrate that you’re in control of your cyber security.
Security fears appear when there’s a lack of focus, knowledge and experience. All of these factors are key components when you’re developing a cyber security approach and can play a crucial role in making sure that your business is secure at all times. 24/7 security can build your cyber confidence.
The human touch is key
On their own, systems and devices can only solve around a quarter of the security threats you face. Meanwhile, the other 75% are reliant on human skills, knowledge and intervention. Therefore you must understand the context of you business’ threats, and have people with the right skillset and experience to detect and mitigate unusual activity.
However, security-intensive work isn’t the most appealing task to the majority of in-house IT teams. Ongoing monitoring and reviews of potential threats may not typically be the best use of their time. No matter how good your IT team is, there will undoubtedly be ways they can improve their cyber security skills. Furthermore, they will likely be unprepared or unavailable when an attack emerges. A security log may go unchecked or basic measures might be missed, handing sophisticated attackers the open door they’ve been waiting for.
The key is being aware of any and all threats you may face. Common cyber threats like malware attacks are reasonably easy to detect most of the time, but the most dangerous attacks aren’t so obvious. No matter how much legwork your team puts in, these advanced attacks mostly occur in a covert manner that’s near impossible for anyone to keep on top of round-the-clock. But that’s where people power comes in.
To counter this, and to ensure you’re aware of potential risks, it’s vital to have the team and tools in place to detect threats whenever and wherever they strike. Our Security Operations Centre (SOC) deals with cyber security threats day-in, day-out, across multiple sectors and in all types of business. Dealing with threats is like a reflex to them – they have time to look at the ins and outs and they know how to do it consistently.
Make encryption less cryptic
To reinforce your defences further, you can also consider using end-to-end data encryption across multi-cloud environments. If data is hijacked or stolen, encryption makes it unusable for others and thereby worthless. It also decreases the probability of follow-up attacks. You can achieve this by using NetApp’s capabilities for encrypting data for on-premises storage systems, data in transit and even onto NetApp’s cloud solutions. All of this is managed through a centralised and well-coordinated management and key management system.
Proactive cyber security with Proact
It’s time to stop living in fear of cyber security and adopt an assured approach, By doing this you can encourage innovation and help your business to confidently handle new requirements and today’s evolving threat landscape. Working with a managed security provider can help you approach security in a confident, proactive manner. You can take the burden of 24/7 threat monitoring and detection off your IT team’s shoulders.
