Avatar

Endpoint. Cloud. IoT Devices. Email. Network. All of it needs to be secure, but where do you start? Once you have visibility out to your endpoints, the perimeter shifts:  when you think you know all the devices connecting to your network, you discover new SaaS-based applications in use. You train your team on information security practices, but hygiene is impossible to mandate and track.

It’s critical for security to flex to meet the daily needs of your organization, while maintaining an acceptable risk profile for the business. That’s why we introduced Cisco Business Critical Services.  We combined our unrivaled engineering expertise with integrated analytics and automation to help our customers build a secure foundation for innovation, preempt risks, and navigate technology transitions.

To simplify the security journey for our clients, our Business Critical Services for Security are aligned under three themes: Foundation, Acceleration, and Transformation:

  1. Foundation: Have a plan
    What happens if a breach occurs? Who do you notify first? What do you communicate? Who are you legally obligated to tell?  These days, having an incident response plan is imperative to basic security.Knowing what to do when disaster strikes can mean the difference between surviving a cyber attack, or suffering massive losses in brand equity, customer loyalty, and potentially legal fines. Incident response plans, retainers, and readiness assessments can help you prepare to respond in the event of a breach.

  2. Acceleration: Know your vulnerabilities
    While you are preparing for an incident, take the time to understand where your security vulnerabilities are. This doesn’t mean executing a simple vulnerability scan.Instead, take a deep look at your network architecture for the shadows and crevices where threat actors can hide. Understand who has access to what on your network, where your partners and vendors are entering and exiting your network, as well as what homegrown applications may leave you vulnerable.

  3. Transformation: Build a secure foundation for innovation
    Security doesn’t end at the firewall. Nor does it end at the cloud. It must be pervasive within your network and personnel to effectively safeguard against threat actors.Network segmentation, data privacy policies, and clear security metrics are all building blocks of a holistic security strategy program. With a secure foundation in place, your organization will be able to innovate with the confidence to take innovative risks without placing the organization in peril.

A secure, efficient, and agile environment across architectures is closer than you think. Learn more about Cisco Security Services and our Business Critical Services for Security.

 

 



Authors

Amy Henderson

Head of Strategic Planning & Communications, Cisco Talos