Irish businesses have been urged to update inflexible and outdated security processes in order to prevent sophisticated new attacks that can cripple IT systems. Businesses are being advised that by protecting themselves adequately through better internal cooperation, they can contribute to a safer overall environment from which everyone benefits.
The call comes, according to EMC, the parent company of security giant RSA. Gerry Murray, EMC country manager in Ireland, said organisations will need to take more active steps to prevent cyberattacks following a new report from the Security for Business Innovation Council (SBIC) — a group of leading security executives from some of the world’s largest corporations, of which RSA is member.
“Irish companies need to make IT security a business priority to combat new advanced cyber security risks and increased collaboration across all teams within a business is emerging as a clear pathway to protect your business,” said Murray.
“That means security teams need to work more closely with business units to establish new systems and processes to help identify, evaluate and track cyber risks faster and with greater accuracy.
“It means looking at cybersecurity risks in hard-hitting numbers to establish the bottom line impact on the business and incorporating these in the security strategy. This will encourage businesses to make IT security a priority.
“There is also a need to develop the skills and tools that allow everyone in the company to identify danger and take more responsibility for security.”
RSA has released a new SBIC report based on the real-world experiences of 19 top information security leaders from corporations including: EMC, ABN Amro, eBay and FedEx.
The report reveals that stronger collaboration between various units within the business and security teams can become a new source of competitive advantage.
“For the enterprise to successfully innovate in today’s digital world, security teams must re-evaluate cyber risk management efforts, steering away from reactive, perimeter-based approaches that are inflexible and focus instead on proactive collaboration with the business,” said Art Coviello, executive chairman, RSA.
“The tempo of recent attacks here calls for urgent and bold counter measures that position businesses not only to detect advanced threats but also to predict how attacks may occur so they can take preventative steps,” added Murray.
The SBIC comprises security leaders from Global 1000 enterprises committed to advancing information security worldwide by sharing their diverse professional experiences and insights. The council produces periodic reports exploring information security’s central role in enabling business innovation.
The current report, the second in a three-part series on building a next-generation information security program, offers five recommendations for how to move information security programs forward to help business groups exploit risk for competitive advantage:
1. Shift Focus from Technical Assets to Critical Business Processes
Expand beyond a technical, myopic view of protecting information assets and get a broader picture of how the business uses information by working with business units to document critical business processes.
2. Institute Business Estimates of Cybersecurity Risks
Describe cybersecurity risks in hard-hitting, quantified business terms and integrate these business impact estimates into the risk-advisory process.
3. Establish Business-centric Risk Assessments
Adopt automated tools for tracking information risks so business units can take an active hand in identifying danger and mitigating risks and thus assume greater responsibility for security.
4. Set a Course for Evidence-based Controls Assurance
Develop and document capabilities to amass data that proves the efficacy of controls on a continuous basis.
5. Develop Informed Data Collection Techniques
Set a course for data architecture that can enhance visibility and enrich analytics. Consider the types of questions data analytics can answer in order to identify relevant sources of data.
A copy of the report is available for download here in PDF format.
TechCentral Reporters
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers