Three Expert Lessons About Digital Threats

There is increasing need for organizations to strengthen security measures as part of their information governance plan. To do this, information security cannot be isolated within legal or information technology departments. Security professionals, business units and company executives should be jointly involved to establish a culture of security. IT experts should manage the technical side, while in-house counsel offers guidance on the regulatory and legal implications.

With more data, devices, and technological developments, there are many gateways that cyber criminals and malicious insiders can exploit. These range from email and smartphones, to IoT and external messaging and collaboration tools.

The IoT (Internet of Things) in particular is becoming more of a challenge. Done well, it can pay off significantly: Businesses currently generate more than $613 billion of profits annually from IoT devices. But these devices require the centralization of heterogeneous networks as data is aggregated and analyzed. As a result, corporate teams must make exceptional efforts to build strong security measures into these repositories. Organizations can prepare by creating “concept of operations documentation.” This flexible governance tool should provide a roadmap for installation, integration and ongoing auditing of connected devices.

In addition, companies can strengthen everyday security by carefully managing employee use of clouds and devices. Ensure that proprietary data is not removed from the corporate network, particularly upon termination of an employee.