10 Steps to Enhance Cybersecurity

By Gennifer Biggs, Exigent Technologies
​
Whether your business is a small retail store or a midsized family law practice, cybersecurity is paramount to safeguarding assets and operations against sophisticated threats that disrupt and derail your organization. This quick guide outlines 10 essential steps to assess and fortify your cybersecurity posture, creating organizational resilience.

Step 1: Identify High-Value Assets Not all assets are equal. Begin by identifying critical assets vital to your business operations and attractive targets for cyber threats. High-value assets may include servers, client information, intellectual property, domains, and financial records. Prioritize efforts to protect these assets to mitigate overall risk effectively.

Step 2: Understand Potential Threats and Risks Comprehend the diverse array of cybersecurity threats, ranging from cybercrime and human error to system vulnerabilities and physical threats. By understanding the nature and impact of potential risks, you can develop targeted defenses tailored to your organization's specific needs.

Step 3: Address Common Vulnerabilities Swiftly address common vulnerabilities such as lack of multi-factor authentication, outdated technology, lazy patching, and employee-created risks. By implementing basic security measures, you can bolster your defenses and enhance your security posture proactively.

Step 4: Evaluate Risks and Prioritize Action Assess the likelihood and impact of identified risks to prioritize mitigation efforts. Focus on addressing the most significant threats first, allocating resources strategically to maximize risk reduction and operational resilience.

Step 5: Develop a Robust Risk Management Plan Translate risk assessment into action by crafting a comprehensive risk management plan. Define objectives, specify control measures, allocate resources, establish timelines, and institute monitoring mechanisms to proactively address potential threats. Many organizations find that a formal security assessment is a wise investment before starting their plan.

Step 6: Craft a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy Go beyond technical measures to develop a holistic cybersecurity strategy encompassing security awareness and training, access control, data security, incident response, and business continuity. Embrace a cyber-resilient approach to safeguard your organization comprehensively.

Step 7: Establish Essential Cybersecurity Policies Implement clear and comprehensive cybersecurity policies to govern employee behavior and expectations. Essential policies include acceptable use, data management, access control, password management, remote access, incident response, and business continuity. Read more about policy creation at https://www.exigent.net/techwise-blog/2024-resolution-1-policies

Step 8: Secure Cyber Insurance for Added Protection Consider securing cyber insurance to provide an additional layer of financial protection against cyber threats. Assess your risk profile, compare policies, and choose a reputable insurer to complement your cybersecurity defenses effectively.

Step 9: Migrate Away from Legacy Technology Address the risks posed by legacy technology by migrating to modern solutions that offer enhanced security, efficiency, and scalability. Evaluate systems, prioritize replacements, and invest in technology that aligns with your organization's long-term goals. Note: October 2025 bring end of life for Windows 10, find out why it's important at https://www.exigent.net/techwise-blog/5-reasons-windows-10-migration

Step 10: Continuously Monitor and Adapt Cybersecurity is an ongoing journey of vigilance and adaptation. Conduct regular system scans and vulnerability assessments, monitor security events to understand new threats, regularly revise and refine incident response plans, and use employee security awareness training to foster a culture of security to stay ahead of evolving threats.

By following these 10 steps, your organization can begin to improve security by identifying areas for improvement and implementing proactive measures to manage risks more effectively. Embrace cybersecurity as a foundational pillar of your business strategy, safeguarding your valuable assets and ensuring resilience in the face of cyber threats.

Download our ebook, “Assessing and Improving Your Cybersecurity” at https:/info.exigent.net/en-us/cybersecurity-ebook-chamber to learn more.