Many organizations are shocked to learn their systems have been breached, with attackers having exposed vulnerabilities. However, you can defend your organization against these threats by taking some proactive measures.

Minimizing your security risk begins with risk management – ensuring proper asset management, implementing policies and procedures around protecting assets, and effective risk mitigation. Yet these fundamentals are frequently lacking in organizations, according to Quentin Rhoads-Herrera, Director of Professional Services for TEAMARES, during CRITICALSTART’s webinar, “Uncovering Your Security Blind Spots.”

“One of the most important things that I see quite often when we discuss risk management is asset management. This is a key fundamental to IT infrastructure and software risk management,” said Herrera. “If we don’t understand as a company what is out there in our infrastructure or what software we’re leveraging, then we’re not going to have insight into whether a company is following best practices for software development lifecycle.”

According to Herrera, here are some basics in which organizations can shore up their vulnerabilities:

• Ensure that asset management is elevated within your organization. For many, asset management is an afterthought, with processes and procedures developed later in the development of the company.
• Develop policies and procedures including implementing standards and detailed descriptions on how to comply with policies.
• Create a risk register and operationalize risk management. In some cases, the risk register has not been created because the company doesn’t understand their risk tolerance or what their threat actors may look like.
• Assess and manage vulnerabilities by implementing pentesting. An effective pen testing program helps you discover vulnerabilities while modeling the tactics of real-world threat actors.
• Conduct IR tabletop exercises to develop a high-level understanding of current cybersecurity processes.
• Increase efficiency through automation and technology, including leveraging of open-source tools.

It’s entirely possible to understand your security risk. The key is to identify and understand those risks. TEAMARES stands ready to help you improve your security posture. If you need assistance establishing an effective risk management program, contact us today.