Top 3 Priorities For Cincinnati CIOs In 2022
2021 seems to have disappeared in a flash with its fair share of challenges, particularly in the technology side of things. Companies had to adjust to remote work due to COVID-19, and chief information officers (CIOs) were dealing with new challenges of restructuring operating environments. However, these changes also exposed many businesses to security threats, skills shortages, and other issues.
As CIOs look into 2022, some top priorities should be beef up cybersecurity and whitelisting. Besides, the rising cases of cybercrimes are enough reason why every organization should implement effective measures to prevent possible threats. In fact, a report by Gartner revealed that companies that will adapt cybersecurity mesh architecture by 2024 will reduce security incidents by up to 90%. Although the list of essential things to do may be overwhelming, a strategic CIO in Cincinnati can focus on these areas in 2022.
Ransomware Prevention
As we start 2022, ransomware prevention still remains a top priority for CIOs. Ransomware is one of the leading causes of data loss and downtime among many organizations. A report on ransomware attacks revealed there were about 500 million attempted cases through September. Some sectors such as the banking industry experienced more attacks due to the nature of the data they store, registering more than 1,300% of ransomware attacks in 2021.
Research by Gartner shows that organizations can prevent approximately 90% of potential ransomware attacks. Setting up a firewall is one of the most effective ways of protecting your company’s network against untrusted outside networks. A firewall acts as a barrier that keeps the bad guys at bay. You can also improve your email security to combat social engineering and phishing attacks. You can consider deploying anti-phishing or third-party email scanning tools so that you can isolate any attempts of a ransomware attack.
Implementing Zero Trust policies is also an excellent strategy for getting ahead of the cyber attackers. This security framework addresses modern security challenges by requiring users to get authorization or authentication for security configuration. Cyber awareness training will also go a long way in minimizing possible ransomware cases because employees will follow the recommended security practices. Building endpoint protections using EDR solutions, among other technologies, is another essential aspect of protecting your company against cyber threats.
Application Whitelisting
This cybersecurity strategy allows users to take specific actions on a computer where an administrator has given explicit permission in advance. With application whitelisting, IT teams can compile the approved programs that a mobile device or computer can access. This is a smart way of getting ahead of the bad guys because the user can only access limited functionalities that the administrator deems safe.
Although whitelisting can be a bit frustrating and inconvenient to end-users, it’s an effective way of preventing many cybersecurity issues. If you operate in data-sensitive environments, whitelisting is a more helpful strategy than application blacklisting. Also, if your employees usually bring personal digital devices to the workplace, you can easily minimize the potential risks that these gadgets can bring to your organization.
Employee Training
CIOs need a highly knowledgeable workforce to survive in the ever-evolving technological world. Therefore, CIOs should perform a skill assessment to know which employees to train on the emerging technologies. This gives your organization a competitive edge since it can develop a new set of core competencies.
Also, cyberattackers used data exfiltration to target internal support teams like IT or customer support in 2021. With cyberattackers targeting staff members to extract confidential data, employee training should be a top priority in your organization. By offering your employees security and awareness training programs, they will know how to identify and handle any threat from within and outside your organization. Note that employees work on many networks that vary in security, and every action can be a threat to your company. In case an employee isn’t adequately trained to identify some of these threats, your company will be highly vulnerable to several cyber threats.
What Makes These Priorities so Important?
These priorities made by CIOs for this year will directly impact organizations in Cincinnati for years to come. For instance, a well-trained workforce will play a part in preventing potential cyberattacks and boosting a company’s revenue. Also, companies won’t have to worry about employees being a weak link to unauthorized access. Notably, human error leads to approximately 95% of breaches. Moreover, keeping in mind the continuous growth in technology, employees will easily adapt to innovations and possible disruptions.
What’s the Best Way to Get started with these Priorities?
For organizations that want to improve their security, you can opt for Okta or Azure Active Directory as your preferred solution. Make sure you work with a reliable partner in Cincinnati, such as 4BIS.COM, to help you implement these solutions. Also, a trusted IT company can train your workforce on cybersecurity. Getting a program that suits your companies needs will ensure that employees learn all the key areas of cybersecurity and how best to keep company data safe.
Which Task Can be Put Off Until Later in the Year?
For CIOs that haven’t started employee training and phish test, you can push it to a later time. However, one thing that you can’t afford to put off is security. With the increased cases of sophisticated cyber threats, securing your infrastructure should be prioritized in Q1 of 2022. CIOs will also need to monitor their existing network for any unusual activities.
Anything Else to Add?
Due to the recent global issues raised by vendors, we’ve now shifted from documentation platforms and RMM solutions to on-premise hosting. Therefore, organizations in Cincinnati need to evaluate their on-premise and cloud services and consider moving from cloud-only to hybrid for some essential services a company offers.
Partner with 4BIS.COM Professionals for Reliable Managed IT Services
These priorities for CIOs will not only be crucial in 2022, but they will also make an impact in the long term. As an organization in Cincinnati, you need to partner with a trusted and reliable IT expert who will help you implement the above strategies. You can rely on 4BIS.COM to help you strengthen your security and keep cyber threats at bay. We care about your business, so we are always dedicated to offering the right technology solutions that suit your business. Reach out to us today to get started.
Thanks to our friends at CEU Technologies in Chicago for their support and help with this article.
