Portfolio Entry 7

What are the costs and benefits of developing cybersecurity programs in business?

Cybersecurity programs are essential to running a business or organization with assets now. Being able to prevent data leaks and potentially large sums of money being lost can crucial to a company, meaning one data leak could be the difference between a business prospering or barely afloat. That is why all businesses should heavily consider having a cybersecurity program to protect them in place.

The specific costs of everything needed for a cybersecurity program really depend on where the business is located, where they are buying from, prices, determined salaries, and other variables that cause potential price increases and decreases. The main things a company would need to look for are equipment, software, and specialists. The equipment would be needed to actually run servers and security software and can be servers, computers, switches, modems, and other networking hardware. Another cost to factor may be certain software designed for securing networks. The last thing a business should consider is a specialist. These are usually the IT people you see working in an organization or office and they are the ones that know how to run the software and maintain hardware across the company. They can also come up with strategies, plans, and emergency plans in case of a leak or attack against the company. Some businesses might even consider using the IT specialists to teach other employees what to do on their computers or in the event of an emergency. IT specialists are vital to any company or organization.

The benefits should be very clear by this point. Having a secured network with protected data and assets is the main goal of any cybersecurity program. Some consider the main goal for cybersecurity programs or IT departments to be to reduce risk or determine potential loss while trying to reduce loss as well. Reducing risks and losses or protecting assets will save the company or organization money in both scenarios.