Cybercrimes are becoming more rampant worldwide as cyberattacks like ransomware, malware and phishing become commonplace. With global cybercrime damage amounting to $16 billion a day, it’s important for businesses to have cyber readiness to avoid financial damage to their company.

Fortunately for businesses, becoming cyber ready is easier than it seems. There are simple, proactive steps employers can take to increase cyber awareness for their business. Moreover, the U.S. government has set up The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to provide additional cybersecurity best practices.

Let’s take a look at how you can start protecting your business today by becoming cyber ready.

Top Three Cyber Readiness Practices for Employers

1. Develop a Culture of Cyber Awareness

The best way to become cyber ready is to create a culture where all employees are well-versed in cybersecurity. In doing so, employees become more knowledgeable about what constitutes a cyberthreat and can make safer decisions when working. Beyond basic training on cyber readiness, you can also keep up with and share cybercrime trends with staff, so they’re aware of the latest threats to avoid. Further, you can create a checklist of common cybercriminal tricks used when a cyberattack is committed for employees to refer to when they are unsure of communication online.

2. Follow the NIST Checklist

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework was created as a voluntary set of cyber practices for businesses to follow to reduce their risk of cyberattacks. As part of the NIST protocol, there are five key functions:

• Identify: Identify current cyber risks and which processes and assets need protection.
• Protect: Implement safety procedures to protect sensitive information and necessary assets.
• Detect: Develop test processes to detect any cyber events against your system.
• Respond: Create a response plan to put into place in the event of a cyberattack.
• Recover: Restore any disturbed services and communicate the attack with necessary parties.

3. Perform Continuous Software Updates

Lastly, cyber readiness does not end once you have the proper training and security procedures set up. To be fully protected, you’ll need to continuously update your systems and practices. For instance, you can establish automatic updates to occur when necessary. Moreover, you can create a system that requires employees to change their passwords during a specified timeframe. As every business is unique, which updates and procedures to follow will depend on your needs and goals.

The Takeaway

Cybercrimes are not going away anytime soon. In fact, they are expected to increase in frequency by next year. Is your business prepared? Now more than ever, businesses need to take the proper steps to protect themselves in the event they are faced with a cyberattack.

If you’re unsure where your current cyber readiness stands, you can undergo a cyber readiness assessment with First Column IT. We can help you better understand what steps your business should take to be cyber ready.

If you want to learn more about cyber readiness, check out additional blogs in our resources section.