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by Koray Ozcubukcu, SVP of North America
Fight the right battle: Building cyber resilience
The cyber threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and the adoption of emerging technologies complicates matters even more, forcing companies to take rush security measures in addressing potential threats. However, we see the situation as Sun Tzu described eloquently in his famous quote: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
Many organizations are deploying a multitude of safeguards, often with overlapping capabilities, without first understanding the specific risks they face and seemingly protect themselves from. That kind of blind action is counterproductive in addressing the threats most relevant to an organization.
It creates a false sense of security that may not be justifiable. It’s impossible to assess the effectiveness of security investments without understanding realistic risk scenarios and their associated costs. As a result, security teams struggle to demonstrate a meaningful return on cybersecurity investments to executives and the board. That may result in scaling down cybersecurity initiatives which can lead to disastrous results.
Furthermore, deploying multitudes of security tools against common threats, though a general practice, increases technical complexity and the burden of maintenance. Increased complexity leads to oversight and mistakes, while the maintenance burden results in fatigue and neglect. Neither outcome helps protect valuable assets against likely security risks.
Dar Khalighi, CIO of American Seafoods Group
“After going through the risk assessment exercise, we discovered a completely new set of risks unique to our organization, with significant business implications.”
Start with a risk assessment
Cyber resilience cannot be established or sustained without first understanding the specific and relevant risks. This is no different from any other component of corporate strategy. Just as we can’t have a successful product strategy without understanding customers’ needs and the competitive landscape, we cannot have an effective cybersecurity strategy without a clear risk assessment.
American Seafoods Group, one of the world’s largest at-sea fishing processors, partnered with us to execute a cybersecurity assessment of their entire company, including their fleet of vessels and processing facilities. “We had always focused on protecting the usual assets like customer and financial data,” the CIO of American Seafoods Group, Dar Khalighi explained. “After going through the risk assessment exercise, we discovered a completely new set of risks unique to our organization, with significant business implications. It was a real eye-opener.”
This is a common reaction we receive after completing risk assessments with our customers. Despite knowing that we can’t solve a problem without first understanding it, this principle often gets overlooked when addressing cybersecurity risks. Many organizations believe that a one-size-fits-all approach and a common set of “best practices” implemented through “best-of-breed” tools are the solutions to establishing cyber resilience. This might be acceptable if your business is fairly standard with few unique assets and risks; however, most businesses do not fall into this category.
Besides all the obvious reasons, a formal risk assessment exercise offers another significant benefit: it helps educate senior executives and facilitates alignment on investment priorities.
Build a cyber resilient future
At Nortal, we understand the complexities of cybersecurity in today’s AI-driven landscape. We offer a comprehensive suite of services, including:
- Cybersecurity assessments and vulnerability management
- Incident response and readiness planning
- Security awareness training and phishing simulations
- AI-powered security solutions
Don’t be caught off guard by the next cyber threat. Nortal is here to build a robust cybersecurity posture and protect your company’s valuable assets.
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