The role of company leader comes with numerous challenges and significant responsibility, depending on the position and internal competencies. Ensuring cybersecurity undoubtedly falls within leaders’ purview.
Central to successful and secure business operations is the need for responsible individuals to stay up to date and conduct continuous threat assessments. How susceptible is the company to potential attacks? What types of attacks is the company prone to? What are the current prevalent threats? What new attack methods are emerging? These are questions that every competent leader should contemplate.
After conducting a threat assessment, an organization-specific security strategy must be formulated to outline how cybersecurity within the company will be ensured. Implementing a security strategy naturally requires financial resources. Leaders play a crucial role in budgeting, as a thinly stretched, resource-poor cybersecurity strategy is counterproductive. Similarly, a security strategy has no value if it remains unimplemented. Implementation could involve the creation of cyber compliance guidelines, security and emergency protocols, or even the decision to outsource cybersecurity.
Even the most well-crafted security strategy is susceptible to human error – often the weak link in the security chain. The human factor can never be fully regulated. However, this residual risk can be regularly minimized through targeted awareness campaigns, sensitization initiatives, and training in handling IT infrastructure. Cybersecurity is often taken less seriously than it should be and frequently neglected over time. Therefore, cultivating a secure approach to IT systems should become a part of the company's culture. Leaders at all hierarchical levels should embody the desired values. Since not only security measures but also attackers' methods evolve, it is essential to adapt to this dynamic landscape. Allowing a security strategy to stagnate widens the gap between a company's security and the tactics employed by attackers. This situation must be avoided at all costs. By following these key principles, you lay the foundation for your company's cybersecurity.
If you lack the necessary expertise to carry out comprehensive risk analysis and to develop and implement a security concept, we recommend seeking assistance from external parties. Teichmann International (IT Solutions) AG is available to support and guide you in all cybersecurity matters.