Find Your Next Step to Cyber Resilience
October 09, 2020 by Loren LaChapelle
In today’s dynamic cyberthreat environment, cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to access your agency’s data. Now, more than ever, you should be vigilant when it comes to your cybersecurity program. To build a successful program, it’s important to develop cybersecurity awareness throughout your entire organization. Creating a culture of cybersecurity – focusing on your people, process, and technology controls – will advance your efforts and help you mitigate the risk of a cyberattack.
Cybersecurity isn’t a destination. It’s an ongoing journey with no finish line. Taking a holistic, continuous improvement approach to your cybersecurity program and maturing it over time can help you achieve this state of resilience and minimize the likelihood your organization will be disrupted following an incident, like a ransomware attack or natural disaster.
Cybersecurity: Interconnected Elements
Achieving cybersecurity resilience depends on an ongoing cycle of interconnected elements that complement and reinforce one another, which is what we refer to as the cybersecurity lifecycle. Elements within the lifecycle include governance, strategy, and guidance; testing and assessment; and monitoring and detection. By focusing on all elements within the lifecycle, you will be prepared and ready to adapt to these changing conditions. 
In a perfect world, your organization would be able to take this holistic approach and strengthen each component of the cybersecurity lifecycle to mature your program. That is easier said than done, though. All too often, it can be difficult and overwhelming to know where to start when building a cybersecurity program. How can we bring employees and other vendors into the program? What kinds of organizational process changes or developments are necessary? How can we improve technical controls to meet cybersecurity best practices?
Cyber Resilience: Where do you stand?
Finding out the answers to these questions can take time and resources that many government organizations – such as cities, counties, and school districts – do not have. For example, there may not be dedicated security staff, or small IT staffs might be too busy with their daily tasks. Or, agencies might not have the time, money, or support from leadership for important elements, like the ongoing education of employees. Even so, it’s still everyone’s responsibility to stay safe, alert, prepared, and aware of the cybersecurity risks we’re facing. Which means striving for a cybersecurity culture is still imperative because cybercrime is here to stay in our digital world.
It’s unrealistic to think you will have a comprehensive security program right out of the gate. But it’s important to get started. And an effective way to prioritize your path forward is to baseline your control posture across security disciplines so you know where you stand.
To help you get started on – or continue building – your cybersecurity program, we’ve developed a simple readiness evaluation for the public sector that aims to help you answer the questions mentioned here. Upon completion of the questionnaire, you’ll understand basic cybersecurity controls (people, process and technology) and the actions your team should take to prioritize your path forward. You’ll know your agency’s overall cybersecurity posture as compared to other public sector agencies, and by discovering where your gaps lie, you’ll be able to reduce cybersecurity risk in the future.
Upon submission, you’ll receive a personalized report, including a recommendation on the best next step in your cybersecurity journey.
Find out where you stand and how you can improve your cybersecurity efforts by taking the evaluation now.