What is Simplified Cybersecurity?
Complexity has increasingly become a problem for cybersecurity in organizations of all sizes. With new cybersecurity threats emerging constantly, innumerable cybersecurity solutions are also constantly being introduced that aim to address them. Panaseer 2022 Security Leaders Peer Report found that the average number of security tools that organizations must manage rose from 64 to 76 over two years1. These numbers are on the rise, and contribute to the problem of complexity, which has consequences such as increased cybersecurity risks and increased costs. The following tips can help you protect your organization by simplifying cybersecurity:
Consolidate security vendors. A Gartner, Inc. survey found that 75% of organizations were pursuing security vendor consolidation in 2022, up from 29% in 20202. The primary reason for doing so was to improve risk posture.
Automate. Many repetitious processes can be automated. Automation can improve threat detection capabilities, reduce or eliminate errors, and decrease incident response times.
Consolidate. Reduce complexity by reducing the number of tools and vendors. Having too many tools and vendors create many systems that organizations need to understand and manage, and lapses in understanding and management can lead to increased risks and increased costs.
Inventory. Create a spreadsheet with all of your security tools and document why each tool was acquired, which features are actively being used by your organization, and how it shares threat intelligence.
Coverage. Create a tool coverage map with critical coverage categories. This can demonstrate where coverage lapses and coverage overlap exists.
Integrate. Consider adopting security solutions that can address many different security needs and integrate with your existing solutions.
Tracking. In order to make risk-based cybersecurity decisions, it is critical to document security incidents and to track their frequency.
Communication. Cybersecurity information, including policies and procedures, should be explained using simple, non-technical language that everyone in the organization can understand and follow. Ensure that executives are also receiving cybersecurity information, written and verbally, that is clear and non-technical, so that decision-makers are fully understanding cybersecurity processes and why they are necessary.
Education. Ensure that everyone in your organization understands the threats and consequences from cyberattacks, and how they can use security tools and good cybersecurity hygiene to prevent them. Being proactive about creating awareness and limiting internal threats helps to simplify cybersecurity by reducing the number of cybersecurity incidents that must be managed.
1 Panaseer, 2021, “Panaseer 2022 Security Leaders Peer Report”
2 Gartner, 2022, “Gartner Survey Shows 75% of Organizations Are Pursuing Security Vendor Consolidation in 2022”