Cybersecurity management and strategy

Increase your cyber resilience

As an entrepreneur, you are aware of the opportunities that arise. Opportunities to further developing yourself and your business. But also opportunities in using new tools or technology. No doubt you have thought about this and perhaps even written it down in a business plan, for example. Have you also thought about digital security as well?

Cyber security

Cybersecurity involves both technical and organisational issues. It is often associated with technology, but the organisational aspects are just as important. If you want to set up cyber security for your business, below are some questions that will help you identify these organisational aspects:

1. What business activities do you carry out?

What is your main activity and what information you need for this? For example, do you make designs? Then you probably think about intellectual property, but are they also securely stored? Do you have large amounts of customer data? You do want to keep that data safe, whether you are a hairdresser or run an online shop. Find out what is valuable to protect within your business.

2. What risks do you run with your information?

What are the risks if you can no longer access your information? Or if personal information or customer data is out on the street. What does that mean for you and your business?

3. Who is responsible for protecting information within your business?

Whether you have all processes in-house or (partly) outsourced, everyone who uses your information plays a role in protecting it. Especially as your business grows, it is wise to discuss and set out responsibilities over information.

4. How do you limit the consequences of an incident?

You know the risks and maybe you have already have taken measures. It is also wise to think in advance about how to limit the consequences of an incident. What do you absolutely need to be able to continue? If you know that, you can reduce the consequences of an incident. Think about copies and back-ups of important information and clear agreements with an IT provider. Also remember that your employees are an important link in the security of your business. Encourage them to report errors or suspicious situations so you can take timely measures (or have them taken).

5. Are you prepared?

Calamities can always happen, but are you prepared for them? Who do you call in case of an incident? Do you record the course of an emergency? Do you have an Incident Response Plan? These things matter because the party that is going to help you wants to know what happened, whether it is IT suppliers, insurance or the police.

Once you have gone through these 5 points, you will have a better understanding of what matters to you, what risks you face and what to do in case of a disaster.

Get started

• Appoint a cybersecurity officer
• Put the topic of cybersecurity on the agenda of meetings
• Draw up a cyber crisis plan and test the plan regularly
• Automate backups
• Implement patches and updates in a timely manner
• Set up processes for onboarding and offboarding staff and include access rights to systems and information.

There are also consultants who can help you, for example IT suppliers, accountants, lawyers, or business advisers.