Best practices to fortify your cybersecurity strategy

There’s no question that the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers thanks to their defense. Defense alone carried the Broncos while Peyton Manning was out earlier in the season, and it carried them all the way through the post season, culminating in a 24-10 championship victory. The Broncos’ defense, in fact, is being referred to by some—like ESPN’s John Clayton—as one of the greatest defenses of all time.

In other words, a strong defense is a winning strategy. This is true not only on the gridiron but for your business’s cyber security. With this in mind, here are some best practices that you can implement to fortify your network this year:

Establish a clear set of access policies

Don’t get so hung up on protecting your network from external threats that you fail to take internal ones into account. According to enterprise data security provider Vormetric, 93 percent of U.S. organizations are vulnerable to insider security threats. You can reduce the likelihood of suffering from an internal data breach by setting and enforcing a clear set of security policies. For example, consider setting up strong network access controls or physical controls, like locks for your devices. The tactics you employ depend on your IT environment and your business’s preferences. Consult with your team and establish firm policies that best align with your unique needs.

Centralize device alerts

A sophisticated cyber attack on your network often has multiple components, and may be executed by many different collaborating intruders. One hacker might attempt, for instance, to test different email addresses to determine which one your company uses. Another may scan your network to gain insight into the types of servers you run and the connections you have established. Each component produces data, which should be logged and centralized into a single hub to identify commonality and assess whether a larger attack campaign is in the works. The intelligence you gather can help your team block the hackers’ next steps. Think of the centralization process as the means to connect the dots and gain a whole picture on malicious activities.

Use security automation to your advantage

The entire threat elimination process, including hunting, detection, intelligence gathering and response, provides lots of opportunity for automation. Automation will allow your department to conduct an extensive amount of research beyond what can be accomplished manually among your team members. After all, there is an exponential amount of data pouring into your network on a minute-by-minute basis. The more intelligence you process and act on, the stronger your cyber security strategy will ultimately be. Automation will also free your network professionals to focus on tasks that generate greater business rewards, like advanced threat investigations, instead of expending energy on administrative analysis.

To learn more about how Swimlane’s fully-automated approach to security operations can help your business, request a demonstration today.