COMMENTARY: Cybersecurity has become critically important for organizations of all kinds and across all sectors, including government. And yet, despite cybersecurity’s importance to national security and our daily lives, it tends to take a backseat, particularly in the political realm.
Why? Well, for starters, cybersecurity isn’t a vote winner, so it doesn’t tend to rise to the level of rhetoric received by other issues—like immigration or the economy. Yet, cybersecurity is critical to both.
[SC Media Perspectives columns are written by a trusted community of SC Media cybersecurity subject matter experts. Read more Perspectives here.]
It’s also a complex issue, especially in the United States where individual states take independent and distinct positions in terms of regulations. Companies need to have clear guardrails to operate within. Right now, a myriad of state-level regulations simply make compliance too challenging.
Yet, technology underpins so much of the political and business infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad that it simply can’t go unchecked. While we talk about using technology to achieve efficiencies and advancements in fields like healthcare, for instance, we don’t hear enough about how that technology will get implemented within a strong security environment.
The path forward
More federal control over cybersecurity-related regulations would help strengthen cyber protection. The need for this protection is integrally tied to concerns over social media impacts on both security and the reliability of information and data.
As we’ve seen through the November election and attempts by foreign governments and other players to influence election results, we must stay continually vigilant—and encourage and teach our employees to be vigilant about their media consumption. We all need to build our own filters to distinguish between what is reality, or what we can trust, and what we can’t.
Government has an important role to play and certainly there has been a lot of talk and some efforts to better regulate social media companies. But businesses can’t just sit back and wait for this to happen. We all need to focus more on cyber resilience. Cyber threats are continuing to increase, and we must all stay alert and take steps to proactively protect our data and assets.
The role for business
Heading into the new year business confidence in the United States remains high and there’s a sense of hopefulness among leaders who are preparing for a second Trump administration. We all need to focus more on cyber resilience. Businesses need to do much more here as cyber threats continue to increase. It’s critical to plan for the eventuality of a cyberattack to safeguard company assets, enabling a company to uphold its commitment to serving stakeholders and sustaining growth.
Business leaders should stay proactive on these cybersecurity issues in the following ways:
- Adopt a balanced focus on both short-term responsiveness and long-term planning for both quick adaptability to market changes and a strategic long-term vision for sustainable growth.
- Evaluate whether and where significant changes to their existing business models are necessary in light of emerging technologies.
- Analyze cost structures in terms of human resources, operational expenses, and technology investments.
- Evaluate supply chain strength and adaptability in light of potential trade policy changes.
- Monitor policy changes and market trends closely, while avoiding hasty decisions based on short-term fluctuations.
- Invest in a strong cybersecurity infrastructure and conduct regular risk assessments.
- Ensure employees are continually trained and that they clearly understand their roles and responsibilities.
As technology gets implemented, it’s important to proactively consider how we can deploy it securely. Today, more collaboration between government and the private sector remains critical. A strategic approach to securing promising technology should remain a business priority. That means ensuring there are people in government with experience in this area. And it means reaching out to form relationships between government and business leaders with an aligned focus on cybersecurity that transcends today’s political differences.
Not an easy task, but there's too much at stake for it not to happen.
Steve Durbin, chief executive, Information Security Forum
SC Media Perspectives columns are written by a trusted community of SC Media cybersecurity subject matter experts. Each contribution has a goal of bringing a unique voice to important cybersecurity topics. Content strives to be of the highest quality, objective and non-commercial.
