With 2020 almost behind us, just what do the next twelve months have in store for the world of cyber and businesses in the North West and beyond? What lessons from 2020 will shape how businesses become more Cyber Resilient in 2021?
We put this question to our friends and colleagues across the North West.
How do you think businesses will change to become more cyber-resilient in 2021?
Keep Investing in Cyber Security
During the pandemic, it was natural for us all to find that several companies put cybersecurity on the back burner as priorities changed. The financial impact of the pandemic forced us all to prioritise more immediate challenges. Companies need to keep cybersecurity at the top of their to-do lists, companies should continue to invest in training, support and ensure they don’t become a victim.
Director of Jovasi Technology, Huw Vaughan Jones
The Cyber Threat is Huge and Relentless
Businesses have realised that the world is now a lot more digital than it was at the start of 2020, that the cyber threat is huge and relentless. Businesses must adapt to this change and become more cyber resilient in order to survive.
Chief Information Security Officer of Irwin Mitchell, Graham Thomson - Founding Partner of NWCRC
Cyber Resilience is like Health & Safety
Approaching cyber resilience like Health & Safety, i.e. it’s everyone’s responsibility is becoming more widely understood. Leadership teams governance accountabilities for that are equally becoming more widely understood. Programmes like the network of Cyber Resilience Centres have been established to help people and organisations learn how to do both.
Director of Programmes at BRIM, Joanna Goddard
Staff are now home workers
Attackers adapt fast to new environments and are already looking for weak targets in networks normally never associated with your business. If staff have worked at home longer than 50% of the time in the last couple of months, within the Cyber Essentials guidelines, they have deemed home workers. This means, almost all firms now have home workers that they may not have previously considered.
More businesses will need to have policies and procedures in place to control and secure their mobile assets and their employees home environment.
Chief Operations Officer at the IASME Consortium, Chris Pinder
Two-factor authentication
More and more online services are offering easy to set up and use multifactor or Two-factor authentication (2FA), whether that is through SMS notifications or authenticator apps.
This single step will save more accounts from compromise and abuse than any other step that could be taken.
Group Information Security Officer of Barbican Insurance Group, James McKinlay
💡TOP TIP: Remember to learn how to backup and restore your security tokens for when your smartphone breaks or gets lost/stolen.
Cyber Security isn’t just a Tick Box Activity
Businesses are becoming more aware that Cyber Security isn’t just a tick box activity and businesses are really seeing the importance of learning more about Cyber Security. It’s becoming more of a cultural change, which companies are now adapting to this.
From the lessons learned in 2020 and the with the help of the Cyber Resilience Centre and the free Police Cyber Alarm - which I would highly recommend for a great starting position/first step for any Micro or SME to begin their cyber resilience journey. Businesses are becoming more aware of the threats we’re all facing.
Cyber Security Consultant at Cyfor, Raj Kundalia
Shift to the Cloud
We’re going to see businesses further shift their data to the cloud and the improvements in the built-in controls in using platforms like Azure.
Head of Customer Security at TalkTalk, Mark Johnson
Staff Working from Home
2021 will seen companies have an increased focus on the cybersecurity of staff who are working from home and work to increase their awareness, improve their planning and risk assessments.
Cyber Security Compliance Consultant of CyberSecuritiesUK, Rory Breen
Higher on the Risk Radar
Following a number of high profile cybersecurity attacks in 2020, cyber risk will be higher on the risk radar for many businesses and this will drive investment in improved controls and awareness in 2021.
Chief Information Security Officer - The Co-operative Bank, Chris Gray
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