Picking up our conversation on the TOP 7 Cyber Truths, today we focus on the reality of Truth #1: “Cybersecurity is Far More Complex Than You Ever Knew.”
IMPORTANT: This is critical WISDOM (not fear tactics) meant to empower you to right-size your decision making, and to comprehensively protect your interests and future against a very real, sizable, and advancing threat. This is the exact intent of our entire TOP 7 Cyber Truths series, to equip you with comprehensive truth to make wiser decisions on:
- What are [your] actual risks?
- What should you do about those risks?
- In what order?
- At what cost?
- All grounded in universal cyber truth.
Let’s dive in with this short list of why cybersecurity is more complex than you know, and please note, these are by no means “all” of the factors – there are many more.
Marketplace Confusion & Chaos: The thousands of voices and vendors in the marketplace (all competing for your hard-earned profits) are constantly compounding the complexity problem with varied and conflicting definitions, descriptions and solutions.
Why does everyone tell a different story? Who can you trust?
What I find most frustrating(!) is that no one tells you “where their solution fits in the overall [ordered] priority of a successful defense-in-depth solution.” To do so could put their “transaction with you” at risk if you found out there are more important things you should address BEFORE you implement their technology.
Constantly Evolving Threat Landscape: Cyber threats are continually evolving, with hackers (daily) developing new techniques and strategies to attack. This makes it difficult for businesses to stay ahead of potential risks. Also, every time you add or change an office location, staff member, device, system, 3rd party vendor, or cloud app, your threat landscape changes. Consider the following as a short list of the extensive variables related to attack vector sources and threats:
Breach Sources
- Staff
- Credentials
- Devices (computers, servers, tablets, phones, IoT…)
- Network Infrastructure (routers, firewalls, access points…)
- Applications (local & cloud)
- Data (on devices, in cloud…)
- Wifi Networks
- Cloud Apps & Sites
- Third Parties
Threats
- Software Vulnerabilities
- Compromised Credentials
- Weak Passwords
- Lost/Stolen Devices
- Malicious Employees
- Poor Encryption
- Ransomware
- Phishing
- Misconfigured Devices
- DDoS Attacks
- Compromised Trust Relationship
In-House Skills Gaps: Many small to mid-sized businesses lack the in-house cybersecurity expertise needed to effectively assess, employ, and manage security. Hiring skilled professionals can be costly and challenging. This is the primary reason for partnering with an MSSP (“Managed Security Service Provider”) to augment gaps with trusted cyber-savvy partners.
Compliance and Regulations: Businesses must comply with a variety of cybersecurity regulations and standards, which can be overwhelming and require ongoing effort and expense to stay compliant. Perhaps you don’t work in healthcare [HIPAA], or do business in Europe [GPPR], but – everyone (every industry) is subject to expanding local (state) privacy and security regulations about collecting, using and storing PII (“Personally Identifiable Information”). Consider the “Texas Data Privacy And Security Act” enacted and effective on 7/1/2024 as an example.
Complexity of IT Infrastructure: Modern businesses rely on a combination of multi-vendor, on-premise systems, cloud services, and third-party tools. Managing and securing such a varied IT environment is intricate and time-consuming, and a significant contributor to point #1 above – Constantly Evolving Threat Landscape. Another benefit of working with MSPs (“Managed Service Providers”) and MSSPs, is that monitoring and patching is generally a foundation to the many services they provide.
Human Error: Employees with different experience, learning and security aptitude can inadvertently introduce security vulnerabilities through poor practices like weak (reused) passwords, falling for phishing attacks, or mishandling sensitive data. One prominent study by IBM suggests that ‘Human error was a major contributing cause in 95% of all breaches.’ — IBM Cyber Security Intelligence Index Report.
Mis-Prioritized Budgets: Many businesses, particularly small ones, don’t allocate sufficient resources toward cybersecurity, either because they don’t recognize the importance or because they can’t afford the necessary investments. Getting the budget wrong means leaving the door open (potentially in numerous places) to inevitable compromise.
Let’s be brutally honest – this is not a question of how much can I afford, and far too many organizations start here. To truly understand how much security should cost, you must first ask “what do i have that’s at risk, and what is the cost of a compromise?” Consider a free TOPCYBER21™ 14-Day trial of “Quantified Risk Valuation” to quickly answer these questions!
Weak Legacy System Security: Many businesses still rely on outdated systems that weren’t designed with modern cybersecurity threats in mind. Integrating these systems into a secure IT environment is often costly and complicated, and not doing so is another open door for attack and compromise.
Third-Party Risks: Many businesses rely on third-party vendors for services or software, and vulnerabilities in these external systems can pose a risk to the business’s cybersecurity – risks YOU may be culpable/liable for in a court of law.
This short list highlights why cybersecurity is a more complex challenge than most take time to understand. For organizations of any size, in any industry, cybersecurity is extremely complex. These risks are far too great, and require a different mindset than usual IT issues, to promptly and properly establish and maintain a trustworthy security posture program.
What’s Next?
Coming up in our next post, we’ll take a close look at truth #2: “Everyone is at Risk – Everywhere.”
Ready to take the first step? Claim your free 15-minute, self-guided TOPCYBER21™ Cyber Risk Assessment or schedule time for a guided walk-through with one of our cyber experts. Visit topcyber21.help to learn more and start your journey to secure, reliable, trusted technology.
About the Author:
Matt Tankersley is a US Navy veteran and the Founder & CEO of TechOnPurpose. Matt is recognized as an innovator with over 35 years of experience in Information Technology specifically in the areas of collaboration, cloud, security, and managed services. Recognizing the complexity, risk and blindsides that business owners face led Matt to create the TOPCYBER21™ Framework, which simplifies how organizations operationalize cybersecurity.
Matt’s dedication to customer experience and unwavering belief that “Technology is at the Heart of Business today,” cast the foundation for our culture and simple operating philosophy: “We love what we do, who we do it with, and who we do it for.”
About TechOnPurpose:
Based in Austin, Texas, TechOnPurpose (“TOP”) delivers comprehensive managed IT and cybersecurity solutions to select clients globally. TOP’s approach to managed IT and cybersecurity continues to deliver simplified conversations and comprehensive, affordable solutions for our global customer family of Small & Medium Businesses and Non-Profits.
