When we talk with prospective clients, one of the phrases we like to bring up regarding their current IT provider or department is, "It's hard to proofread your own work." Have you ever tried going back and re-reading an E-mail or a document for accuracy and grammar but miss something so obvious? It might be a misplaced comma, a sentence that never ends, or in the worst-case scenario: you spelled something wrong. You let someone else look it over, and they find the mistake right away. We all have biases towards our own work, even if only subconsciously, and it's tough to see what we are overlooking. This is why it's essential to have different third parties run independent security penetration tests (pentest) or security risk assessments annually on your network. It's the same as having someone proofread your work!
If you think your network is in great shape today and things are locked down, secure, and safe, then put it to the test. Have a company like us or another third-party test it for weaknesses. Run a pentest and see what areas might need more of your attention.
I believe in this concept so much that I hired an outside firm to test our internal environment. With their help, we improved some of our systems and processes for emerging threats. As we reviewed the results, some of their suggestions seemed obvious, but we missed them because we were biased and too close to them. This is why I shifted our company focus to emphasize cyber security. It is the Achilles Heel to any business because, without it, your clients and your own data or information are for the taking. A cyber attack can end a business, and it doesn't just affect the business. It will impact your employees and their families as well.
The field of cybersecurity is an evolving space, and it seems like it's always a moving target. Security practices established last year might not be sufficient in 2022 to get the job done and keep you safe. With the current geopolitical landscape, cyber-attacks and intrusions are on the rise. Bad actors could release new threats that they keep in their back pocket to use when everyone's attention is focused elsewhere.
It's important to remain open-minded and willing to continue to explore areas of improvement. I don't believe we can ever be 100% safe from cyberthreats, but one of the biggest threats is complacency towards exploring how to improve.
If you are curious about how your network security stacks up today, reach out to us, and we will be happy to explore this question and proofread your work or the work of your current IT provider.
FYI – this is something we even run on our clients to make sure we aren't missing anything!
