How to Create an Incident Response Plan [Update]
We often discuss the proactive approach that you should take when it comes to cybersecurity. Security risk assessments will identify the gaps, ongoing training will help to strengthen the human risk factor, and tools like Catch Phish will keep the team engaged and learning along with those training programs. But the fact is, you can’t eliminate all the risks that your clients face when it comes to experiencing a data breach. That means that having an incident response plan (IR) should be on your list of “must-haves” when it comes to smart cybersecurity.
Reasons to Perform a Security Risk Assessment
Performing a Security Risk Assessment (SRA) is one of the things that Managed Service Providers can utilize as a way to solidify their client relationships and grow their business. Offering it to existing clients is a way of showing your value as well as helping them to strengthen their security posture. You can engage with potential clients by offering to do an assessment for them.
Additionally, businesses that are in healthcare and fall under HIPAA compliance are required to perform an assessment annually, so it can be used as a tool to strengthen and build those relationships. However, doing so with all of your clients should be a part of your plan regardless of the industry that they work within.
5 Key Lessons from Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Who’s Ready to Go?
As Cyber Security Awareness Month comes to an end this week, don’t let the momentum you’ve created dwindle or diminish. Take the foundation of awareness that you’ve been establishing with your existing and new clients and keep on building!
Are you feeling unsure about how to keep it going, or uncertain about what you can do to grow awareness? We’ve got five topics for you to keep the ball rolling…and rolling.
Keep the Awareness & Momentum Going Year-Round!
When the national campaign for cybersecurity awareness ends on October 31st, the need for diligence doesn’t go away with it. Since a critical aspect of your job as an MSP is to keep your clients safe and secure, you’ll inevitably benefit from keeping the momentum going! Keep your clients aware of the risks and threats that cybercrime poses to their business, and subsequently you’ll have an opportunity to promote what your business can do to help mitigate these risks.
Make Cybersecurity Awareness Part of Every Day
It Starts at Home
With October being designated National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the United States Department of Homeland Security, we are seeing promotional material from a variety of public-facing businesses. Everyone from our banks to our credit cards to the grocery store is promoting it on their various platforms. Which is great…but shouldn’t every day be a day that we’re aware of cybersecurity? This should be true especially if you’re in any way associated with the technology sector.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Resources for MSPs
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect time to “shine a light” on the ways that your clients can be aware of the threats that they face when it comes to cybersecurity, as well as provide ways to mitigate the risk factors that can allow cybercriminals easier access. In addition to our very own marketing toolkit that you can download for free, we’ve also found other items that you can use to complement the resources that we’ve provided for this month – or year-round!
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit
The work of an MSP is often taken for granted – until something goes wrong. And then you are the first phone call that a client makes and it’s a hurry up and rush scenario.
At Breach Secure Now, our partner-focused mission is the foundation for all that we do. Our founder Art Gross was (is) an MSP and knows the challenges that you face not only as a professional in the IT industry but as a business leader as well! So, when there is an opportunity to ‘shine’, we want to make sure you take it and maximize the opportunity!
Class is Canceled
This past week Howard University had to cancel classes due to “unusual activity on the University’s network”. As a result, their Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) team shut down the school’s classes for the day to investigate the situation which they identified as a ransomware attack.
This incident brought to light the consideration of how deep and wide the net can be cast when an attack takes place on an entity such as this. While nothing is confirmed with the Howard University incident, it does mean that we must pause to consider the range of data that could be compromised.
Inside Threat
The threat to a business from outside perpetrators is very real when it comes to cybercrime. But sometimes the threat comes from within, and it is even harder to detect or prevent in the first place.
Why would someone try to intentionally hurt the very company that provides them with a paycheck? The reasons vary, but there are a few that are repeat offenders. They include stealing proprietary information to take to another job, selling to the competition, or working with cybercriminals to provide the foundation for an attack.
Collective Action Against Cybercrime
Last week the President met with leaders in the private sector as well as those in education to discuss the need to address cybersecurity threats to the nation and efforts needed across the board. The increase in incidents and the ongoing threat of attack is something that transcends all the invisible borders that we put on humans or businesses. In other words, cybercriminals don’t care about your race, religion, income, or the industry that you work within. Data is valuable to them however it needs to be obtained and whatever information it can provide – it all adds up.