Regulators - mount up. Cyber Scotland Week Series - 4
It is hard to believe that in a society so heavily regulated an activity that reaches into every business, and affects everyone, has no form of recognised and universal standard and regulation associated with it.
Right now, this is the case for cyber security – and that must change.
Before all my cyber chums start throwing PCI – DSS, Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001 etc. these are all discretionary for a business who might need them due to the type of services or products they sell, or because of the customers they have. None of these are a requirement by government in the UK that we all must have to trade as a business.
Think health and safety, which is designed to look after the employee, and use this positively in a cyber context. There is a regular audit of your IT security status designed to help and support your business remain secure. It would look at the condition and status of your systems, processes, and people and how well they are secured, trained, and supported and offer an improvement plan to help you maintain standards.
There is a massive positive side to this – look at the impact of Heath and Safety
Changes in the workplace as a result of the Act, saw an incredible 73% reduction in the number of workplace fatalities between 1974 and 2007. Non-fatal injuries also fell by 70%.
It is a challenging point to add but it needs said – while cybercrime really is affecting the commercial operation of a business it is only a matter of time before it affects and take lives. Sadly, only then may we see government step in properly and effectively.
Improving your cyber security is a responsibility to you, your business and those you deal with. It is not easy or is it expensive – security should not be easy – and a recognised external standard is achievable for most businesses. Cyber Essentials Plus for example is certainly a positive first step for everyone to achieve and maintain as it provides external validation that you are taking security seriously.
IFB helps with preparing and maintaining your businesses cyber security for accreditation in this way as we believe that if we all reached this type of standard - this help us all be safer and more secure.
To get in the know about your security threats register here and complete our biggest security survey to date - which also provides an opportunity for a FREE vulnerability scan from IFB. Call IFB on 0845 270 2101 to find out more.