Organizations are placing a lot of emphasis on their security posture, or how prepared they are to thwart threats, reduce risk, and respond to assaults, as cybercrime continues to spread. A good security posture lowers the possibility of a successful breach, whereas a weak posture raises the possibility of flaws that an attacker may quickly exploit.

The collective security state of all software, hardware, services, networks, information, suppliers, and service providers makes up an organization's security posture (or cybersecurity posture).

Your security posture includes vendor risk management, vulnerability management, data breach prevention, information security (InfoSec), data security, network security, penetration testing, security awareness training to thwart social engineering assaults and other security measures.

These cybersecurity techniques are intended to guard against security risks, combat various forms of malware and cybercrime, and stop intellectual property theft when used with your IT security team.

The security posture is what?

You may gauge your security posture by:

  • How transparent your asset inventory and assault surface are to you.
  • Your company's procedures and controls for preventing cyberattacks are in place.
  • Your capacity to recognize and prevent threats.
  • Your capacity to respond to and recover from security incidents.
  • Your security program's level of automation.

"70% of security and IT professionals say that security hygiene and security posture management has become increasingly challenging."

The importance of security posture

A company's security posture gives an overall picture of its capabilities. Using this data, one may decide whether a company is protected and what improvements must be made.

This enables a firm to lower the risk of a successful cyberattack and lessen the harm should one happen. It also reveals the weakest points in a company's operations. This can be used to show that such regions require investment.

Your company's security posture is crucial since cybersecurity risk is inversely correlated with it. Cybersecurity risk lowers as your security posture does.

Cybersecurity risk is the possibility of exposure or loss due to cyber attacks, data breaches, and other cyber threats. The potential loss or damage to IT infrastructure or an asset's confidentiality, integrity, or availability is a more comprehensive definition.

Understanding your organization's susceptibility to outside attacks is one of the main advantages of assessing its security posture.

The expanding attack surface is one issue that businesses are currently confronting. An attack surface is made up of all potential points of entry that an unauthorized user may utilize to access a system.

An organization's attack surface expands when they:

  • Need to store a growing quantity of sensitive data
  • the number of remote workers should rise
  • Expand your public cloud storage.
  • Use new SaaS products or services
  • Increase the number of users connecting to networks and programs
  • A wider attack surface raises the risk of security issues.

To become more proactive with your attack surface management and overall security strategy, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of your security posture.

Security Visibility's Challenge in Today's IT Environment

Your company's security posture relates to how well you can identify risks and how ready you are to counter them or recover from an assault. Your security posture is influenced by everything related to security, including your security plans, strategies, policies, technology, controls, communications, and training. Strong cybersecurity posture is also demonstrated by your organization's capacity to uphold it via routine maintenance and program care, even when a direct danger isn't necessarily present.

Managing security posture demands tools that offer ongoing metrics about the risk in your digital systems and the effectiveness of your security programs since security posture is a dynamic and evolving evaluation of your approach to security.

There are two main hurdles to effectively measuring security posture.

  • The majority of organizations' attack surfaces are increasing and changing quickly. Your attack surface is expanding fast and in ways that make it challenging to identify and assess risk, from acquisitions and new technologies to vendor ecosystems and the increased usage of remote/home networks. You must have more security visibility to understand the dangers you face and how effectively you're positioned to address them.
  • Many risk and performance measurements are typically ineffective in establishing security posture because they are too ambiguous, lack context, or are not continually available. To assess the effectiveness of security initiatives and direct efforts to make them better, it is essential to find solutions that can give a constant stream of targeted metrics in context.

How to Evaluate Your Business' Security Posture

You must do a risk assessment prior to enhancing your security posture. Once you know the threats your company is exposed to, you may strengthen your security posture to guard against them. The idea is that as your security posture improves, your security risk is reduced.

Record every IT asset. All of your company's assets should be documented. This includes any hardware linked to your network, any software your firm uses, and your business's confidential information. In essence, it is a list of everything that hackers may try to access.

  • List every threat made against them.

Many hazards threaten businesses, and it is impossible to name them all. However, you should have a general grasp of the strategies that may be employed against you and the individuals who are most likely to use them.

  • Determine any vulnerabilities

To evaluate the efficacy of known threats against all IT assets, penetration testing can be done. Small firms frequently need help to afford this, but it may give them a better idea of their business's susceptibility.

  • How Much Would a Successful Attack Cost?

A risk assessment should contain a report on the possible damage a successful cyberattack may cause. For example, the price of a successful data breach or ransomware attack could be estimated. This information can then determine the dangers that should be prioritized.

Every business should adopt a strong security posture.

As mentioned, a company's security posture refers to its capability to resist cyberattacks. Therefore, you must first evaluate an organization's threats to ascertain its vulnerability before evaluating its security posture.

The security posture can then be strengthened by making the business harder to attack. This may entail network upgrades, raised staff awareness, and the preparation of strategies in the event of a successful cyberattack.

Is your business frantically trying to defend the environment it works in from the threats it faces today? Do you feel like you're groping around, piecing together different defenses to keep yourself safe? We're here to help you.

Get in touch with us today for expert assistance in strengthening your security posture. Our skilled professionals will work with you every step of the way, providing tailored solutions to meet your specific needs.

Posted in IT Infrastructure Transformation