When you hear the term “cybersecurity,” that can mean a lot of different things. There are many different categories of technologies, each of which serves as an often-critical piece of a company’s overarching cybersecurity strategy.
What categories take priority when it comes to a budget will vary greatly from business to business based on their needs or technology assets. On top of that, a business may choose to invest in each technology category, but in different ways.
Network security is often one of the foundational elements of any cybersecurity strategy. This category includes securing the networks against outside threats or manipulation by leveraging firewalls, encryption, strong passwords, policy implementation, segmentation, and more. It may also involve leveraging machine learning to monitor access and flag any abnormal behavior that could signal that an attack is underway.
As the network perimeter expands, organizations may also want to consider critical infrastructure security and cloud security strategies. Many organizations are leveraging cloud-based software or servers to run their business. They may want to consider tools to protect or monitor data in the cloud. In addition to that, companies that rely heavily on critical infrastructures, such as utilities, manufacturing, or healthcare, will need to consider how to protect those assets as they modernize and connect to the same networks as IT assets.
Meanwhile, endpoint security includes protections for the devices themselves, including laptops, printers, smart TVs, servers, and more. This security may consist of leveraging antivirus or antispyware software or more advanced technologies like endpoint detection and response. It may also include application security or measures to protect the software and assets on the devices themselves. The scope of endpoint security has expanded vastly in recent years. It may also include other internet of things (IoT) security solutions to protect the millions of new devices connecting to corporate networks.
An organization will also want to consider protections to the data, called data security. Data security may include encryption technologies that protect the data’s privacy, security, and integrity. Processes, policies, and access control solutions can also ensure only the right people can access data or under specific parameters.
Suppose there is an attack, especially in the case of ransomware. In that case, it is essential to have disaster recovery solutions in place, which may allow an organization to recover lost or corrupted data. On top of that, it is helpful for an organization to invest in capabilities or preparation for incident response, or how an organization will respond to an incident, in advance of an attack.
Each of these solutions is a piece of a larger puzzle: the overall cybersecurity strategy. Each business will need to carefully consider what are their so-called “crown jewels” — the data,
systems or networks that, if affected by a cyberattack, would be devastating to the business — and tailor their strategy to protect them.