How to protect your data from the growing cybersecurity threat
Here’s a sobering stat to absorb.
Did you realise that Australian businesses suffered combined total losses of $33 billion from cybercrime last year alone?
Thirty. Three. Billion. Dollars. Stolen through cybercrime. All gone.
But don’t worry, that’s just the bad news. Here’s the really bad news: the way things are going, 2022 will probably be even worse.
Okay, now, before you start checking your firewalls, updating your security patches, and taking all of your money out of the bank and stuffing it under your mattress, there’s no need to panic.
The actual good is there are plenty of steps you can take to ensure you don’t become another statistic.
Be alert, not alarmed
At the moment it seems like there’s a new high-profile cyberattack happening every week. The fallout from the Medibank and Optus hacks continues to reverberate around the industry, severely eroding the trust of consumers and spooking companies into performing sweeping security audits of their systems.
While it’s true that the spectre of cybersecurity is a real and growing existential threat, managing the risk is no different to any other risk analysis you need to perform, no matter the size of your business.
So what are some of the real and practical solutions to keep your data, and even more importantly, your customer’s data safe?
It’s the law
Firstly, you should probably get across the Australian laws that govern cybersecurity in this country (at a base-level understanding at the very least).
In Australia, all activities to do with the handling and storage of personal and sensitive data is governed by The federal Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Broadly speaking, the Act imposes obligations on APP (Australian Privacy Principle) Entities. It excludes small businesses with a turnover of less than $3 million, registered political parties, and state or territory authorities.
With recent threats increasing, new laws are also being proposed to massively increase penalties for non-compliance and breaches.
Activate the Shield
If you’re a company or you’re working for an organisation that handles sensitive data, it’s a good idea to be aware of the standards for data compliance.
Obviously, Salesforce is an industry leader in the CRM space, but their security product, Salesforce Shield, is seen as one of the most trusted and secure cloud apps in the market.
In fact, they take security so seriously that they’ve recently hired an ex-CIA Chief Security Officer to help run the show.
So, from a position of authority, they’ve also pulled together a best practice checklist to help you gauge whether you’re on the right track.
Firstly, who owns the implementation of your organisation’s security policy? Having clear ownership is essential.
Further, being clear about who is in control or covered by permission sets matters.
Also, consider your authentication, encryption data storage and back-up solutions processes too.
And finally, Event Monitoring allows you to see who is accessing critical business data, when, and from where.
This is a very basic best practice checklist, but it’s a good place to start.
Upskill for opportunities
From a recruitment perspective, there are likely to be plenty of opportunities for those with skills in the cybersecurity arena in the coming years.
Salesforce allows you to upskills through Trailhead, with their #SecuritySavvy Trailblazers learning in-demand skills to build and advance their cybersecurity careers.
The sector is projected to experience 35% job growth by 2031, with nearly 715,000 jobs posted in the US in the past 12 months.
A great place to start is Salesforce’s Cybersecurity Trailhead page, with pathways, potential jobs, and tips in place to give your career a kickstart.
And with many other Salesforce positions ready to be filled right now, I’m always happy to chat if you’d like to find out more about any of the roles I have on offer.
Stay safe and savvy out there!
~ Garth Kharitou
