Safety First: A Comprehensive Guide to Corporate Security

TL; DR: In today’s digital era, implementing strong cybersecurity practices is imperative for your business. Read on to discover key corporate security practices, learn about the importance of awareness and education, and delve into the significance of risk management assessments.  

Were you aware that nearly 2,200 cyberattacks unfold every day, with each one occurring, on average, every 39 seconds? Astonishing cybersecurity statistics like these reveal that cybercrime knows no boundaries; attacks can happen at any time, and both individuals and organizations are potential victims.  

To address this crucial topic, this article focuses on corporate security and delves into the issues you need to consider if you’re looking to safeguard the digital aspects of your business.  

Consider Corporate Cybersecurity a Top Priority  

The significance of adopting cybersecurity best practices lies in the dual goals of safeguarding your company’s sensitive information and ensuring the safety of your clients. It has a key role in protecting a business’s reputation, financial stability, and competitiveness; it helps mitigate the risks associated with data breaches, financial fraud, and other cyber threats that can have severe consequences for both the organization and its stakeholders.  

 There are many strategies, technologies, policies, and security practices that an organization uses to protect itself from cyber threats and risks. To dive into this topic, let’s start by looking at some basic and not-so-basic cybersecurity tips: 

• Keeping software, operating systems, and apps updated is crucial. Make sure all devices and systems have up-to-date antivirus and antimalware software, and set up automated updates to ensure continuous protection against emerging threats. Leverage phishing detection technologies.  
• Diversify antimalware, anti-ransomware, anti-exploits, and anti-phishing providers for a combined vision of what best supports your corporate cybersecurity.   
• Implement robust email filtering solutions that can identify and block malicious emails, including spam, phishing, and malware-laden messages. Employing sender authentication mechanisms is also crucial to ensuring the authenticity of email senders.  
• Encouraging employees to use strong, unique passwords and implementing MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) for access to sensitive data adds an extra layer of security beyond passwords and reduces the risk of unauthorized access.  
• Conducting cybersecurity training programs for employees to educate them about best practices, social engineering threats, and how to recognize and report suspicious activities.  
• Implement robust backup solutions and disaster recovery plans to ensure critical data can be restored quickly in case of a cyberattack, natural disaster, or any other unforeseen event.  

Please note that these measures should be tailored to meet the specific security needs of your company, the type of business or industry you operate in, and the unique characteristics of your organization. We’ll delve further into this below! 

Focus on the Importance of Educating Your Teams and Clients 

More than ever before, users need to be conscious of the risks of having so much of their information online. As people can range between being either too open about their data or distrusting security measures, it’s important to raise awareness and provide guidance on how to be more cautious.  

In addition, it is necessary to make users aware of the risks that smartphones and other mobile devices can pose to security. A recent study cited by CNBC showed a “50% increase in attacks on mobile devices, with scams and credential theft at the top of the list of payloads.”

Recent history has taught us that people working transnationally with simple SIM-swapping, for example, can breach security standards at the highest-profile organizations, including Microsoft, Vodafone, Uber, and Samsung, but not exclusively. Attackers of all kinds are coming for login credentials and proprietary information, however they can.  

As stated, an aware workforce is a valuable defense against cyber threats. Training employees in cybersecurity best practices, including recognizing phishing attempts, secure browsing, and safe handling of data, is paramount. The rise of remote work adds complexity to the challenge as it requires people to implement adequate security measures on their devices to protect against cyber threats while working outside the office.  

There is also a growing need to educate clients, especially for tech-leading companies, who must coach their business allies on where to invest and what measures to adopt for best security practices. Security certifications can help establish minimum security levels for all parties involved.  

What Your Security Needs to Look Like Is Unique to You 

Let’s circle back to the topic we left posed above: cybersecurity measures must be adapted to the needs and specifics of the company. This means that there is no one-size-fits-all formula.  

Consider conducting a comprehensive risk management assessment to help you identify the cybersecurity measures that your company needs. These should be tailored to some specific variables, including your risk management practices, the clients you serve, and the services or products you offer.  

My advice here is to consider your real threats and vulnerabilities without being either exaggerated or loose in those views, and strive for a realistic approach. How much of this risk can be mitigated by security systems?  

You should also take into account the different models for technology management and their certifications, focusing only on those pertaining to your line of business. Industry-specific certifications can effectively narrow your focus and positively limit your scope to specific lines of business. For instance, consider the case of HIPAA certifications, which play a key role in the US healthcare industry by ensuring the highest standards of security and privacy for patients’ and clients’ data. 

Develop the Right Risk Mitigation Strategies to Enhance Your Corporate Security 

Understanding that cybersecurity measures must be adapted to the needs of the company is essential to ensuring you’re on the right track. Once you have clarity on your organization’s cybersecurity needs, choose the security measures that can effectively aid your company and develop customized software systems and solutions tailored to your company’s specific needs.  

One fundamental mindset is to acknowledge that risk can never be fully eliminated; instead, you can bring it down to an acceptable operational level at which you feel as secure as possible. Achieving this level is all about striking a balance between threats and vulnerabilities versus controls and security measures, which is unique to each company.  

At Nearsure, we can help you create and develop customized software solutions tailored to the specific challenges your organization may face regarding corporate security. With over 15 years of experience and an extensive network of more than 20,000 developers across Latin America, we’re a tech partner you can rely on. Contact us to learn more!