If you are reading this, chances are that you are a small business owner or IT manager looking to take your first step towards a formal cyber security program. Congratulations! You have recognised the importance of protecting your most important assets from cyber-attacks and now you just need to get something in place.
However, with so many options available and the expertise required to manage a cyber security system, it is a daunting prospect.
Wizard Cyber has worked with numerous businesses in this position and knows the difficulties of starting from scratch. To start your journey, we have put together this article which provides a brief and basic guide on setting up your business’ first cyber security program.
Evaluate your current situation
Before getting started, it’s a good idea to evaluate what you are currently working with and what you require.
As a small business, you may or may not have a dedicated IT department, but it’s likely that you don’t have considerable resources or availability in this area. Adding an entire cyber security program to a team’s workload would be inadvisable, so if you are considering managing your system in-house, make sure you have enough budget to hire additional staff as well as pay for the system itself.
Furthermore, take stock of your existing team’s skills. Managing a cyber security system requires years of experience and dedicated training. If you don’t employ a cyber security expert, you will need to consider whether you have the budget to do this. With a cyber security analyst earning around £38,000 a year in the UK, this is a cost you will need to weigh up when deciding whether to manage it yourself or utilise a managed security service provider (MSSP).
At this stage, you should also assess any existing security solutions you have in place as well as what kind of technology you are utilising:
- How many devices are connected to your network?
- Do you utilise any Internet of Things (IoT) devices or mobile devices for staff?
- How are your devices currently protected?
- What operating systems do you use?
- What data assets do you have?
- How are these data assets stored?
These questions are just an example of the kind of things you need to consider when implementing a cyber security program. You must ensure that your entire network is protected and that your data is stored responsibly.
Data protection regulations and cyber security threats are growing both in number and severity. Ensuring that all your assets are protected is vital to succeeding as a business.
At this stage, if you are considering using an MSSP, a cyber security review can handle a lot of this heavy lifting for you. This kind of review provides an in-depth assessment of your organisation’s current ability to protect itself from cyber-attacks. It then provides an actionable roadmap to improve your situation.
Consider adopting a framework
The biggest hurdle to getting started for many businesses is knowing what to do. A cyber security framework can solve this problem for you.
Wizard Cyber specialise in the ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials certifications, but there are others available. These frameworks provided an internationally recognised set of standards, guidelines, and best practices that, when implemented correctly, ensure your network is resistant against cyber-attacks and data breaches.
Thankfully, many frameworks are easy to understand and help you identify where your company is in its cyber security journey and how to achieve certification.
The type of framework you follow will differ depending on your industry and how far you have progressed in your journey. For example, if you are just starting then Cyber Essentials is great, whereas ISO 27001 may be better if your organisation is looking to take their cyber security status to the next level.
If you are unsure, feel free to get in touch with us. Our cyber security experts will be happy to walk you through the process and discuss your current situation.
Create a cyber security program structure
To create a truly successful cyber security program, you will need buy-in from everyone in your organisation. Anyone that uses your network must be aware of the program and what they need to do to stay safe.
The easiest way to achieve this is to put together a formal structure and create or acquire training resources. A simple structure for your program should look something like this:
- Purpose – What are your organisation’s valuable assets? Why have you put a cyber security program in place? What limits are you placing on data access and why?
- Policies – Create a full written policy for any actions or topics that will be affected by your cyber security program. This includes remote working, utilisation of personal devices in the workplace, company data storage and usage, and much, much more.
- Monitoring and Assessment – How are you going to monitor, report, and audit your data? Are you going to utilise MSSPs or other security vendors to assist with governance and other aspects of reporting? What compliance and regulations do you need to meet? Who is responsible for each aspect of your monitoring and assessment process?
- Training – One of the best ways to achieve buy-in to a cyber security program is through excellent training and educational resources. All your employees need to be fully trained in how to recognise and report suspicious cyber behaviour.
Once you have a formalised structure in place, your organisation will be much more secure and able to iterate and improve on its program going forward. Remember, a cyber security program needs to evolve and adapt quickly to the ever-changing landscape that cyber threats pose.
We hope that this basic guide has helped you to start your process towards a successful cyber security program for your business. We know how confusing and overwhelming this can be, especially if you are just starting your cyber security journey.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about how Wizard Cyber can assist you on this journey, contact us today. Our cyber security experts are here to help. Together, we can ensure that your business is protected against any and all cyber threats.
