Preserving cybersecurity in an interconnected world

It’s more important than ever for organizations and their staff to keep security top of mind. Just as the internet connects businesses and customers, it also presents security risks – which is why security measures must keep pace with the tools and tactics employed by cybercriminals. By raising awareness of these issues and using cloud technologies, organizations can mitigate the risk of cybersecurity breaches.

Raise awareness about security to mitigate the risk of breaches

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month began in the US and has also been adopted by South Africa, with National Cybersecurity Day on 5 October. This presents a great opportunity to raise the topic of cybersecurity with your employees, remind them of the importance of maintaining strong passwords and educate them about the latest email scams.

Phishing tactics, for instance, where criminals pretend to be someone else to gain access to information or the network, have become increasingly sophisticated. There are already reports of AI-based software being used to impersonate the voices of senior executives to authorize fraudulent transactions.

Being mindful of security at every level of the organization can reduce the risk of a breach.

Use cloud solutions to make your organization secure by design

With enough processing power, brute-force attacks – where criminals enter millions of potential password combinations until they guess correctly – can be highly effective. A network of IoT devices exchanging information can be breached if even one device is compromised. And the frequency of powerful distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, where criminals use vast networks of malware-infected machines to disrupt services, continues to rise.

Cloud technologies can keep you one step ahead. That’s because the cloud allows for attacks to be predicted and dealt with in real time by using big data and expansive user analytics. And, through a collaborative approach to analyzing events, eventually it will be possible to create a global monitoring system for cyberthreats. So, as interconnectivity grows, the best way to secure your organization is to embrace it.

Get advice and assistance from the experts

It’s becoming increasingly impractical and risky for many organizations to manage their cybersecurity in-house, which is why the market for security as a service is rapidly growing. Even smaller organizations can outsource security to a managed service provider with solid service levels and extensive experience in designing and implementing security solutions.

When implementing a cloud solution, it’s better to consult a trusted and experienced provider than going it alone. Improper cloud configuration creates vulnerabilities, such as inadvertently allowing the circumvention of internal data-protection policies or failing to properly isolate a user’s data in a cloud environment. An established service provider will help you avoid these issues.

To unlock the potential of your organization through technology solutions that enable digital transformation while minimizing vulnerabilities, consider our high-level expertise and world-class managed services, including cloud services.