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Businesses should implement technical and digital solutions by considering their implication in the organization’s security strategy. Avoiding this crucial step can put the company’s data at high risk for cyber threats. Threat protection policies can highly reduce the risk associated with digital solutions. However, irrespective of the stringent threat protection policies, there is always a chance of cyber attack and breach; therefore, organizations should plan accordingly. It is where smart threat protection policies become essential. It helps the organization to reduce risk and further have a plan if a cyberattack takes place. A smart threat protection policy considers application controls, user controls, network controls and endpoint controls for holistic cybersecurity protection.
Application Controls
When a business introduces an application in the organization because of its helpful feature, it is vital to understand its associated risk. Furthermore, the firm should explain these risks to the employees using it. Firstly, companies should restrict their employees from using high-risk applications. Secondly, the applications that fall in the gray area of security policy because of their value and considerable risk should be used safely.
In addition, the policy can also limit the application’s features to certain approved users. Application control in threat protection policies can help organizations to stay safe from harmful applications.
User Controls
It is common for organizations to have application usage policies. However, while drafting the same, one might encounter numerous challenges. For example, how is the list of unapproved applications updated in the usage policy, and how do the employees know about it? Therefore, it is crucial to develop innovative threat protection policies that describe the usage policies and instruct the employees properly on checking all the recent updates in it.
Network Controls
The most sophisticated cyber threat uses the network to infect and control a structure. Therefore, network control automatically becomes a crucial enforcement point of the policy. In network controls, the IT should pay special attention to the available content of the allowed traffic. Furthermore, constant monitoring and inspection are a must. For example, the IT department can use What Is My IP to check whether a certain device belongs to the office network or not.
When drafting a policy to include network controls, one must focus on simply reflecting the intentions of the goal instead of multiple sets of instructions which might complicate things.
Endpoint Controls
One of the most common malware targets is the end-user device. Therefore, while drafting endpoint policies, organizations must include practical ways to update devices with security solutions.
Moreover, a regular audit of the devices is also a must. Finally, any organization with a remote team should pay special attention to endpoint security. An intelligent strategy will prevent the attack at the entry point through endpoint security.
Staff Training
Implementing threat protection policies in organizations is possible when it properly trains employees. Cybersecurity training is the most important preventive measure against numerous types of cyberattacks. Ideally, a policy should make cybersecurity a part of the induction process of any new employee. This training should empower employees with information like high-risk elements, who can access what and what they should look out for to avoid cyberattacks.
Ensure Continuous Monitoring
Technology is continuously evolving, and so is the threat to businesses. Hence, constant monitoring of different digital components of a company is required. It enables the firms to update their policy to include any new threat. Continuous tracking also helps businesses refine their policies through constant revision.
Try People-Centric Security Approach
Firms can make the threat protection policy successful by taking a people-centric security approach. Most cyberattacks result from human error; hence, people-centric security approaches can be highly beneficial in mitigating cyber threats.
Furthermore, this approach also creates a sense of accountability amongst its employees. For example, with this approach, the firms can allow the employees to take extra security measures according to their needs.
It is essential to trust the employees to ensure the people-centric security approach works. Organizations can confirm that this trust is not bling by holding the employees responsible for the security of the company data they use. However, despite a people-centric security approach, firms should ensure employees follow the security policy. Lastly, companies must update their security policy regularly. Only then can it help the firm stay safe from the latest cyberattack technique.
