Recovery and continuity: Strengthen digital security

The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic turmoil is changing the way we live and work. Business continuity is being threatened at unprecedented levels. Combined with the current complexities organizations are now facing, maintaining business continuity requires a new approach to common challenges.

Our current blog series is reviewing crisis recovery and business continuity in the professional services industry. Last week we reviewed back office efficiencies. In part six, the conclusion of our series, we address ways of elevating digital defence.

First, here’s a recap of the blog series:

• Blog 1: Overcoming new complexities
• Blog 2: Expand readiness and agility
• Blog 3: The next normal workforce
• Blog 4: Aligning with new client needs
• Blog 5: Stabilizing the back office
• Blog 6: Strengthen digital security (below)

Elevate digital protection

Are you protecting digital assets and client information by prioritizing cybersecurity?

There is new pressure on security leadership to step up and proactively help stabilize operations while navigating uncharted waters.

One glaring security issue that demands heightened scrutiny is a quickly activated, remote workforce which is accessing systems from home, in some cases, with personal devices. This demands new consideration around security. Cyber resilience is needed as the workforce accesses internal information, client-related data, and potentially new technology.

As one example, the popularity of the video conferencing application Zoom has gone through the roof during the crisis despite known security concerns.

Building corporate cultural awareness in an organization around data security and the nature of cybercrime is a vital mandate to ensuring the integrity of organizational data and the reputation of the brand. The challenges around cybersecurity affect the entire culture of an organization. Investing in better cybersecurity must involve the time and resources spent in educating staff at every level on the realities of cybercrime and ways to deter and defend against it.

[ Download the best practice guide: Crisis recovery and business continuity in the next normal ]

Some key initiatives organizations can conduct to increase data security and cultural awareness include:

• Make a cybersecurity information session part of the onboarding process, from employees to freelancers. Create a contingency session to address immediate interactions for remote workers.
  
  
• Regularly communicate with staff about the importance of cybersecurity throughout the year in communications from company leadership to keep it fresh for everyone in the organization. Initiate temporary, discussions more often during times of shifting processes and crisis.
  
  
• Work with cybersecurity companies to regularly brief staff about threats to business and client data and how each employee can help to keep it safe from cybercrime. Partner with trusted technology leaders that offer industry-specific support.
  
  
• Test staff knowledge of cybersecurity and cybercrime issues and challenges regularly through courses and review materials.
  
  
• Foster an open-door policy around data security to empower staff to report errors without the threat of punitive measures against themselves or others.

Considerations of the day-to-day operations at every level are important. An organization’s data assets are tied to the life and health of the organization as a whole. It’s vital to encourage staff at all levels to view their relationship to organizational and client data as a key responsibility, especially in times of flux like the pandemic.

If you would like to discover more about recovery and continuity in professional services, we invite you to download a best practice guide:

Click here to download the guide now