A recent survey conducted by The Cyber Security Breaches found that 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack last year. The same survey found that phishing was the most common threat type, followed by more sophisticated threats, such as malware or ransomware attacks. 

So, in 2023, we can expect this trend to continue and evolve with new types of cyberattacks that can exploit existing or new vulnerabilities within businesses. 

That’s why having a cyber security plan and choosing new innovations and technologies to help you stay ahead of threats should be top of mind this year. 

Now, we know it may seem impossible to stop 100% of attacks in this ever-evolving digital world. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do everything possible to be prepared and have a plan in case a hacker makes it past your business defenses or if crucial business data is leaked on the web by a malicious insider.

The way you respond to a cyber attack can make a big difference to your business. The right cyber security strategy helps your business plan for the worst-case scenario and can also lay out a step-by-step roadmap to navigate if a breach happens.

So, let’s start by going through what your cyber security strategy needs to include.

What should a 2023 cyber security strategy include?

In 2023, a simple cyber security plan that includes only anti-viruses or firewalls is no longer enough as cyber criminals are smarter and can now evade these simple defenses. 

There are so many types of cyber attacks these days, from the ones that can access, change or destroy your data, to the ones that can extort money from your employees or business, or attacks that can disrupt day-to-day business operations.

That’s why, regardless of your business size, you should consider working with a cyber security team that can put together for you a strong cyber security plan with a multilayered level of protection against all kinds of attacks. 

So, your cyber strategy should take these into account: 

• • Infrastructure & network security

• • Application & information security

• • Cloud Security 

• • Employee security training and awareness

• • Disaster recovery or business continuity 

• • 24/7 Support

 

Here are some of the ways a cyber security plan can actually help your employees and business. 

Review the state of your infrastructure

Choosing to put in place a cyber security plan and working with a team of experts means you can review and check monthly the state of your infrastructure, network, cloud, or applications. Running vulnerability checks or risk assessments, for example, are some of the best ways to uncover your security flaws before a hacker exploits them.

The attacks can come through your emails, web servers, network infrastructure, wi-fi access, data storage, financial systems, and so many more. These regular cyber security checks can help you identify many potential threats so that you can better prepare.

Security awareness training

Cyber security awareness training is also what makes a strong security plan crucial for your business. Specifically designed to educate employees about their roles and responsibilities when it comes to information security, these training sessions can prevent and mitigate specific cyber attacks. 

A successful security awareness program will help employees understand how cyber attacks occur, and the security risks behind their actions and can also make it easy for them to identify cyber attacks. This means your team becomes the first line of defence.

Contact the right experts 

If you choose to work with a team of experienced cyber security engineers and outsource your security plan, which we highly recommend, you will also benefit from 24/7 support. This means you have a point of contact in case you are being attacked or hacked and your in-house team can rest assured that they have access to the best support. 

At Haar Cloud, all our security experts are highly experienced and qualified, with the best skills, knowledge and capabilities to keep your business and employees safe.

Run bounty bug programs or penetration tests

Often the last step, after implementing cybersecurity strategies for your business, the IT security company you work with also runs a bounty bug program or a penetration test. These can help detect and fix vulnerabilities and can also assure you have the right security strategy in place. 

Penetration tests are used to find errors, threats or vulnerabilities in your network, software system or web applications that a hacker can exploit. It is actually a simulated attack made by penetration testers for finding all possible vulnerabilities. 

Bug bounty programs are another way for ethical hackers to find bugs or other vulnerabilities in your business IT systems so that the security team you work with can fix them and prevent future real cyber attacks. 

How can our Haar Cyber Security team help your business? 

Our cyber security team can first help you assess the state of your business infrastructure, and identify the security gaps and challenges that need to be changed or updated. Then together we can design a tailor-made advanced cyber security plan that can protect your business from the latest threats and vulnerabilities. 

Contact our experts and start your cyber security journey today.