Cybersecurity Risk is Business Risk: A Leaders Imperative

Cybersecurity is not just a concern for IT geeks. It’s a concern for everyone at your company, especially executive leadership and department stakeholders, regardless of your business. The security of, and responsibility for, your business starts and ends at the top.  

Even today, executive leadership, department stakeholders and their IT departments are still frequently disconnected, almost as if they are different organizations. Another common scenario occurs when the head of the IT department is an executive leader but doesn’t allow visibility into (or provide understanding of) their department’s operations, creating another disconnect. Once upon a time, businesses operating under this paradigm could function adequately and siloed departments were commonplace. Today it is a security risk, especially with almost all enterprises dependent on technology; siloing or ignoring a critical department that manages cybersecurity is downright dangerous. 

Think about it. The first thing you do when you get to work is turn on your computer. You log in, which lets you securely connect to your company’s systems. If you’re working from home, you probably connect to a VPN through a firewall, additional levels of security that keep your company’s systems and data safe from the outside world. 

Once you’re connected, you check and respond to messages in your email. One message requires a follow-up phone call using voice-over IP. A colleague pings you via IM and asks you to hop on an impromptu video conference call. You schedule another meeting for later in the day. You need to do some research beforehand, so you get on the internet and check a client’s website. Then you go to another website to order something or click on a contact link to request a response to your query. 

A failure of the technology supporting any one of those activities is a threat to your business. And that’s just the start of your day. 

From manufacturing to procurement to software design or consulting, literally every department in your business relies on information technology. If you have an ERP system, that’s IT. Accounting and payroll are provided by IT. In-house communications—file sharing, employee intranet, Slack channels, messaging—are all provided by IT. So are external communications.  Take IT away and none of those things are possible. Without IT, you can’t secure your business from outside threats. 

Strategic Business Process are as Important as Technology – Executive Leadership and Stakeholders are Key 

“Strategic business processes are just as important as the technology you use. It all comes down to people, process, and technology—it’s critical to have the right processes in place rather than just an expensive technological solution. And that’s only possible when you have the top executives driving those processes.” 
— Scott Singer, CEO, CyberNINES

Singer stresses that physical security and cybersecurity are increasingly one and the same. What threatens one, threatens the other. A cyberattack on critical infrastructure can lead to physical damage, while a physical attack on a data center can paralyze digital operations. It’s no longer a matter of one department handling physical security while IT takes care of the cyber aspects. Every department, every group, must take responsibility for the security of an organization, particularly when that organization is a government contractor or subcontractor.  But that attitude of shared responsibility won’t take hold unless top management takes the lead and sets the example. 

“The approach I take with business leaders is to go beyond their technology problems and provide them with a roadmap that will take their business on a journey of growth,” Singer says. There are many reasons why you, as a stakeholder, should be an involved partner in cybersecurity: 

• Cultural Tone Setting: First and foremost, a company’s attitude toward cybersecurity (and everything else) comes from the top. When you make cybersecurity a priority, your employees take it seriously. The same is true for compliance. 

• Stakeholder Buy-In: Stakeholder buy-in in-turn ensures your employee’s buy-in. Each department gets involved in cybersecurity policy development process, which fosters better understanding and cooperation throughout the company. 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: When you foster collaboration between IT and other departments, you leverage the expertise of each, creating more robust security measures, which are then implemented across the enterprise and the processes are integrated. 

• Regulatory Compliance: If your company is a DIB organization and handling Controlled Unclassified Information, you must comply with CMMC and NIST SP 800-171. For an organization to achieve and maintain compliance, everyone must contribute. Your executive involvement ensures that all departments are engaged in cybersecurity and CMMC compliance. 

• Tailored Policies: Engaging all departments allows policies to be customized to each department's requirements, leading to more practical and relevant security measures. 

• Vendor Management: If your company uses third-party vendors for any IT services, you can ensure they meet regulatory requirements along with your company’s cybersecurity standards. 

• Incident Response: If you do suffer a breach, you need to make quick decisions about how to mitigate the damage, recover quickly, and minimize disruption to your business. Having department involvement in policies and procedures is critical to response and recovery. 

• Comprehensive Coverage: Since each department has unique responsibilities and operations, your involvement ensures that cybersecurity policies cover the entire organization, leaving no security gaps. 

• Risk Management: Likewise, each department faces unique risks. Executive involvement ensures that cybersecurity risks are addressed for each department and that this in turn aligns with your company’s overall risk management strategy. 

• Coordination and Communication: When you involve all departments from the beginning, you foster collaboration and help establish clear communication channels, making it easier to implement your cybersecurity policies across the organization. 

• Resource Allocation: Cybersecurity initiatives require budget, personnel, and technology. By prioritizing cybersecurity investments, you ensure they are properly funded and supported. 

• Brand Protection: As part of incident recovery, you can guide your company’s communication with customers, partners, and regulatory authorities to restore trust and preserve your brand’s reputation. 

• Long-Term Strategy: Cyber threats are constantly evolving. Your involvement ensures that your company has a long-term strategy for adapting to emerging threats and technologies. 

• Reporting and Accountability: As an engaged executive, you keep your board members well-informed about your organization's cybersecurity posture, risks, and mitigation strategies. 

Executive leadership and stakeholder engagement with CMMC Compliance is vital to making cybersecurity a priority across your organization. To find out more about how CyberNINES can help your business stay secure and compliant, please contact us, we look forward to working with you!