The first step to effective cyber protection involves creating a cybersecurity implementation plan.
According to Cybercrime Magazine, by 2025, it’s estimated that cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion annually. By collaborating with a trusted IT firm, you can develop a cybersecurity implementation plan that highlights your vulnerabilities while leveraging technology best practices for improved productivity and efficiency.
Adding an IT security implementation plan helps protect your business against evolving cyber threats – which continue to grow in number and sophistication.
If anything’s for certain, it’s that information security is paramount for any business that collects private client data, and this certainly isn’t limited to ecommerce or healthcare providers.
If you work in healthcare or another heavily regulated industry, you understand the importance of cybersecurity and compliance: For example, when your protective measures are HIPAA compliant, you know you’re using best practices and avoiding regulatory fines.
What is an IT Security Implementation Plan?
Simply put, an IT security implementation plan is a comprehensive measure an IT firm puts in place to protect company data and employee information. In short, cyber security plans:
- Reduce risks
- Protect data integrity
- Elevates an organization’s IT security posture
An effective cybersecurity plan takes into consideration threat detection and monitoring, response and elimination, and threat mitigation. Planning ahead, with preventative measures in mind, saves money and stress—along with your business’s reputation. If you have a plan drafted, get it assessed by your trusted IT firm. If you don’t have a plan, now’s the time to start.
Don’t Let Your Cybersecurity Leave You Stranded
Work with an IT company that understands the demands of your industry.
Creating a Cybersecurity Implementation Plan for Your Business
There are a few key components to keep in mind when creating your security program, such as:
- Your IT budget
- Network monitoring requirements
- Previous security assessments
- Employee education and awareness training
1. Put Together a Security Team
When considering the earliest steps you can take to protect your information assets, partnering with a security team is at the top of the list. Select trusted, experienced employees that know the ins and outs of your cybersecurity strategy and implementation plan. They’ll help develop and deploy the plan, and determine your risk thresholds.
Many companies entrust their security planning to a Managed Services Provider (MSP), in order to help them develop a security controls implementation plan. These experienced professionals keep up-to-date on emerging threats to cybersecurity and your technology.
Depending on the services your MSP provides, you’ll also have the opportunity to partner with an IT firm that provides virtual Chief Security Officers—someone who is responsible to assess and define your organization’s security posture to improve IT security controls and safeguard data assets. This comes at a fraction of the cost of hiring this role in-house.
2. Conduct a Security Audit
Though you may think you have a comprehensive security plan, it never hurts to have your trusted IT team conduct a security audit. Your team should also assess the security status of your data, including storage, access, and how it can be potentially compromised.
Penetration testing, for example, is an imitated cyberattack that your team uses to test your security measures. A risk assessment provides a 360-degree snapshot of potential vulnerabilities in your environment.
Just as important as checking if your software is up-to-date, you need to evaluate your company’s security culture. Are employees being trained in IT security best practices?
3. Assess Regulatory Necessities and Compliance Requirements
If you work in finance, healthcare, or other highly regulated fields, you need a comprehensive understanding of data regulations for your industry. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has several rules for the financial sector, including measures to protect client confidentiality.
Once you understand your industry’s regulations, the next step of implementing a cyber security plan is to cover those requirements. You may also notice that, during plan development, some regulatory requirements may highlight areas you didn’t have covered in other parts of your general technology plan.
4. Create Security Measures and Documentation
It’s imperative to make security plan documentation accessible and easy to update.
Spreadsheets and other forms of tracking can be a helpful tool in keeping track of security measures. Additionally, make sure to keep an ongoing archive of changes made to your cybersecurity implementation plan.
Data maps can also help with understanding storage and standardizing your data, streamlining access and documentation. Data mapping aligns matching fields of information between databases, and is a crucial component of data migration. Accurate data mapping also prevents errors and later problems with information analysis.
Depending on your industry, your business requires different security measures. Creating and implementing comprehensive documentation keeps things organized and easy to find. Having up-to-date information is also critically important for auditing purposes.
Implementing a cybersecurity plan is just one piece of the IT puzzle. Learn more about cybersecurity with these blogs: |
5. Cultivate Workplace Security Awareness
Your employees serve as the digital frontlines against data breaches and cyber attacks.
Providing security awareness training helps prevent unauthorized access and keeps your network security in peak performance. In truth, protecting sensitive data should be everyone’s top priority, as it makes everyone’s jobs easier while safeguarding company reputation.
The Benefits of a Cybersecurity Implementation Plan
Other than the benefit of saving you money through improved business uptime, your cybersecurity strategy and implementation plan also helps you:
- Better protect end users
- Protect your data and network
- Align with regulatory compliances
- Safeguard against data breaches
- Improve recovery time after a security incident
- Deploys robust detection systems and improves intrusion detection
Elevate Your Cybersecurity Strategy and Implementation Plan
Looking to get started with your cybersecurity plan but aren’t sure where to begin?
An MSP or MSSP can provide years of IT experience and ensure you follow data security best practices.
With NetGain Technologies in your corner, you can rest assured knowing we'll work hand-in-hand with you, ensuring you understand:
- Our entire security assessment process
- How our security plan will be deployed (and maintained)
- The benefits you gain by improving your security plan
With hundreds of employees and engineers, NetGain Technologies is ready to help you plan for cybersecurity. Contact us today for all of your cybersecurity needs.
