Write Up – The Human Factor in Cybersecurity
Protection against cyber threats does not come cheaply and can require an organization to invest large sums of money to ensure all factors of cybersecurity are working efficiently. Software and hardware are used to create a working cybersecurity network. Monitoring services are also required to maintain and update networks of an organization. Training also becomes an important factor as it is an important aspect to prevent human input failures. All of these factors are needed to create a cybersecurity framework, but organizations can come across financial problems when budgeting funds set to create a security framework.
Software and Hardware
Software and hardware tools is the first layer of protection organizations use to protect their data and assets. The costs for these services can vary from a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand when including cyber insurance in case of system failures. Since this is the first line of defense against cyber threats, it is worth spending a portion of the budget to use the most efficient software and hardware. Organizations can lose more money to ransomware attacks and DDoS attacks when they opt for cheaper software services. Due to the pace at which technology rapidly advances, IT hardware can often become much slower and even redundant if it is not maintained; this can cause costs to the business further down the line (Firstline IT).
Training and Education
Employees of an organization can be described as one of the biggest vulnerabilities when it comes to data protection. They have access to secure information that hackers seek and can sometimes be tricked by malware, ransomware attacks, or phishing schemes (Wess). This makes it important to invest in knowledgeable and continues training programs to prevent human errors that can result in businesses and organizations losing money to cyber-attacks. Cyber threats are always changing and in the world of cybersecurity, hackers and cybercriminals are unfortunately always a step ahead of the latest cybersecurity framework. For this reason, investing a large portion of the budget towards efficient training programs and constantly updating these trainings should be a priority.
Conclusion
In order for an organization to protect data, assets, and services they should assess the current cybersecurity needs. Software/hardware and training should be a priority as these are the first line of defense against any cyberthreats. Organizations find themselves investing in cheaper alternatives to save money, but this can open pathways for hackers. Maintenance of systems and updating training programs for employees can be an investment for a business but no budget is set to cover major losses to data breaches and cyber-attacks.
Work Cited
“Investing in Upgrades Is a Business Necessity: Firstline It Oxford.” Firstline IT, 24 June 2022, https://www.firstline-it.com/advice/investing-in-upgrades-business-necessity/.
Wess, Sydney. “How to Make a Cybersecurity Budget [with Template] | Clutch.co.” Clutch.com, 2023, https://clutch.co/cybersecurity/resources/cybersecurity-budget.