Companies handle large volumes of information and in recent years, thanks to Big Data, many of them have understood the value of this data. However, organizations are not the only ones that understand how valuable the information they collect is. Cybercriminals also know this and, as a result, set in motion different threats that put the stability of companies at risk.
The virtual world is full of dangers, from phishing attacks and scams that can reach through spam mail or social engineering techniques, to ransomware attacks and other methods of information theft. In 2018, for example, the number of cyberattacks broke records with more than 10.5 billion incidents worldwide.
In the face of these alarming figures, it is vital that companies take urgent action. However, it is important to note that a company’s security must involve each one of its ports of access. This means that organizations must have integrated security, that is, implement a system of protection measures both digital and physical. Key to this is the awareness and training of staff in cybersecurity.
Steps to implement an integrated security system for companies
When we speak of integrated enterprise security, we mean a global and active system characterized by the establishment of maximum levels of protection. In order to achieve this objective, it is necessary to set up a management system to prevent and control the risks to which companies are exposed.
In this sense, it is essential that your organization implements a series of actions that will lead it to protect the information of third parties who want to make malicious use of it. These are the basic steps to follow to establish integrated security in your company.
#1 Define strong security policies
Before establishing any integrated security system for a company, it is essential to analyze the degree of compliance with the company’s risk prevention practices. In other words, what security policies and procedures are being applied and how personnel complies with them.
Once the status of the company is known and its needs with their strengths and weaknesses are detected, security policies adapted to these needs must be defined. These are divided into three categories: prevention, detection and recovery.
The first, prevention, involves taking measures such as creating control of access to the company and its information, as well as an identification and authentication system and establishing a communications security system. These actions will help prevent the risks of data theft or loss. Detection is used to discover if there are violations or attempted violations of system security. And recovery is a procedure that is applied in the event that a system breach has actually been detected.
#2 Create a cybersecurity culture
It is useless to create an integrated security system in the company if users do not comply with established internal policies and procedures. People are usually the weakest element of the security chain in companies. This is so because humans tend to look for shortcuts, can be misled with tricks, and also often act unprepared.
For this reason, it is essential to create a culture of cybersecurity in the company. Employees not only need to know the practices that are essential to keeping data and equipment safe, but they also need to understand the importance of complying with them.
To this end, organizations must conduct workshops and training sessions so that users know the basic concepts of computer security and the actions to protect equipment, applications, and software, physical files, among others. Likewise, constant awareness-raising actions must be implemented to inform about the great importance of each of the users in the company’s security chain, from directors and managers to the work team.
#3 Establish physical security mechanisms
Once you have completed the two previous steps, the organization is now ready to establish physical security mechanisms. These are procedures to control threats to the physical space where the company is located, such as natural disasters, acts of vandalism, theft, or sabotage.
In order to avoid these risks, you can establish different measures such as the implementation of interior access controls that include access control to the enclosure, alarm systems, and CCTV or user authentication. It is also important to restrict access to some spaces with sensitive information, such as the Data Center or areas where physical files are stored.
#4 Defines logical security mechanisms
Once physical security is in place, you will need to create protection mechanisms for your computer systems. This implies the creation of procedures and configurations that allow the protection of the access to data and information of the company. In this way, you prevent it from being used without authorization, either by divulging it, altering it or even deleting it.
Logical security mechanisms are applied in several areas: in the company’s network and infrastructure, in the workplace and, of course, in mobile devices. Among the actions that can be applied in these fields are:
- Data encryption.
- The implementation of new generation firewalls.
- Periodic backups.
- Control of remote access to company data.
- The establishment of password policies or the implementation of multifactor authentication systems.
Among many others.
#5 Monitor the security system
The above measures will serve to establish the integrated security of the company. But in order for them to fulfill their function, it is important to monitor them. It is essential to have a Security Operations Center (SOC), since this is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and solving problems that could affect the security of critical data of an organization, as well as the infrastructure.
An excellent alternative is USM Anywhere AT&T Cybersecurity, which offers a smarter SOC solution as it enables unified security management. It’s software that brings together all the essential security capabilities your business needs to monitor its local, cloud or hybrid environments and discover critical assets, all from a single, easy-to-manage console.
USM Anywhere AT&T Cybersecurity differs from other similar systems for the following reasons:
- It offers unified and coordinated security monitoring.
- It actively scans critical assets for vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit and prioritizes the most severe vulnerabilities.
- Presents friendly reports for a better understanding of the risks.
- Eliminates security blind spots by correlating events across all devices, applications, and servers.
Enterprise-integrated security delivers increased profitability and business productivity. That’s why solutions like AT&T Cybersecurity are ideal for protecting sensitive information. To learn more about this and other software for your infrastructure, GB Advisors has specialists dedicated to providing you with the information you need. Contact us now.
