7 Cybersecurity Questions CEOs Need To Ask Their Teams
PublisherSol Minion Developmenthttps:https://assets.solminion.co/logo.svgPublished
August 2, 2021
Strategy
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Ransomware. Extortion. Stolen data. Stolen money. Fears of cybersecurity attacks can haunt a CEO. That’s why it’s important for a CEO to ask the right questions of their teams. These teams can be employee teams, outside software developers, and even suppliers and vendors. Cybersecurity is no joke, and every small business CEO needs to make sure their team is on top of it, ready to defend and react to protect company and customer data.
Small Business Cybersecurity In 2021
According to IBM, an attack can be active for seven months before it’s even detected. Imagine the damage that can be done in seven months! And if the pandemic isn’t already causing CEOs anxiety, the rash of recent cybersecurity attack headlines will. In fact, nearly half (43%) of all attacks target small businesses.
So, what questions should a CEO be asking their teams when it comes to staying up on the latest cybersecurity best practices?
7 Questions CEOs Need To Ask About Cybersecurity
Is my team prepared to defend against a cybersecurity attack? Everybody should know how to get out of the building in case of a fire. Everybody should also be trained on how to defend against an identified attack. A CEO needs peace of mind knowing that their team is trained and ready to protect the company's assets.
Have we done a risk assessment and understand the results? The CEO needs to know the biggest vulnerabilities. What could cause the most damage should a breach occur. Part of that is knowing the company’s Cybersecurity Posture Scorecard.
Do we have a Cybersecurity plan, and is it up to date? The CEO needs to have confidence knowing there is a plan in place to keep the team trained and the technology updated.
Could that happen to us? With the regular breaking news stories of cybersecurity attacks, a CEO needs to ask, “Could that happen to us? Have we protected our systems against such an attack?” It’s nearly impossible to stay a few steps ahead of the attackers, but there’s no excuse for overlooking current tactics and not being prepared.
Do we have a response plan? Small businesses are a regular target of cybersecurity attacks. The CEO is going to want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. So, they’ll ask about minimizing damage, getting the word out to customers, stopping an ongoing attack, assessing damage, and more. Finally, how often is this plan tested and updated?
Are we using the right technology to protect our data? Again, the CEO needs to see confidence from their team that the company is using the latest technology to protect against attacks, that the technology is being regularly updated, and that new technology is used to adapt to new attack strategies.
Are we allocating enough resources to maintain our preparedness against an attack? This may be the most important question a CEO can ask. All of the plans and preparation and answers above can go for nothing if the cybersecurity budget and the human resources to support them are absent.
Did You Get The Answers You Were Looking For?
Asking the questions above is the first step. When the answers come in from your team, you need to be confident in their expertise. You need to understand exactly where your company stands in its cybersecurity posture. And you need to be sure that they’re telling you the truth. 95% of security breaches are a result of human error.
Get help. CEOs are not typically IT experts. We recommend working with a cybersecurity consultancy to help you analyze your situation, assess the risks, put together a plan, and train your workforce.