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How to develop a cybersecurity plan for your company?

04 Apr 2022. 12:53
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  • SME maturity
    High
    Topic
    1. Ciberseguridad
    Scope to digitize
    1. Cybersecurity

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We tell you all you need to know to help you improve the security level of your SME, read on! 

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Invoices, reports, customer databases, orders... All these assets are of great importance for a company to function correctly. In fact, because of the digital transformation, companies carry out a large part of their activity thanks to information systems generated by technological supports such as computers, tablets, websites, among others. For this reason, it is essential to guarantee the security of this information, since protecting it is protecting the company itself. 

As we have explained in other posts, cybersecurity is an essential factor in every company, especially in SMEs and freelancers. But where can we start? When deciding to tackle cybersecurity, it is important to plan the activities to be carried out, just as is done in any other production process in the company. This planning is called the Master Security Plan (MSP) and it is the one that will indicate the priorities, the people in charge and the resources needed to improve the level of digital security of our SME. 

 

What is a Security Master Plan? 

prácticas de seguridad que deben implementar todos los departamentos. 

It consists of defining and prioritising a set of information security projects in order to reduce the risks to which our SME could be exposed. In order to create a PDS, an analysis of the company's current situation must be used as a starting point. In addition, it is essential that it is aligned with the strategic objectives of the SME and that it includes a definition of the scope with the obligations and good security practices that all departments must implement. 

 

In this regard, the magnitude or complexity of the Security Master Plan will be determined by the following factors: 

 

  • The size of the organisation. 

  • The level of technology maturity. 

  • The sector to which the company belongs. 

  • The legal context that regulates its activities. 

  • The nature of the information we handle. 

  • The scope of the project. 

  • Other organisational aspects. 

 

Below, we will tell you about the phases that a PDS must go through. However, it is important to bear in mind that this plan is based on continuous improvement, so when the cycle is finished, you must start again. 

 

Phases of a Security Master Plan: 

 

 Recurso1

 

 

 

  1. Know the current situation of the company. 

 

This phase consists of a series of analyses of the current situation of our company. In other words, it is necessary to identify which processes, departments or systems can be improved. In this sense, this step is the most important and complex, as it requires the participation of different people in order to obtain reliable, complete and updated information. For this, it is necessary to carry out a technical analysis and a risk analysis. 

 

  1. Knowing the company's strategy 

 

In this phase, both current and future projects should be considered, as well as growth forecasts and changes in the organisation. Also, certain factors should be taken into account that may affect the direction of the measures to be taken, such as whether the company has a strategy for centralising services or whether it has outsourced them. In this way, this phase allows us to align the security strategy with the general business strategy of our SME. 

 

  1. Definition of projects and initiatives 

 

Once the information from the previous phases has been collected, this phase defines the concrete actions to be taken until the agreed level of cyber security is reached. An example of such actions could be to define a backup policy. 

 

  1. Ranking and prioritisation of projects 

 

After having defined the actions and initiatives, we must classify and prioritise them. It is advisable to group these actions by their origin, type of action or level of effort required. 

 

  1. Approval of the plan 

 

At this point, we already have a preliminary version of the Master Security Plan, which must be reviewed and approved by the company's management and then communicated to the rest of the company. 

 

  1. Implementation 

 

Once the Security Master Plan has been approved, it is time to assign those responsible for each project and provide them with resources. This will set the path to be followed, establishing the frequency of review and the milestones to be reached. 

 

Now that you know all the details of how to draw up a PDS, we must emphasise that the implementation of such a plan will help you to achieve the level of cybersecurity that your SME needs. In the same way, you will be able to guarantee the continuity of your business and offer services or products in a secure way to reinforce the confidence of your customers. As a result, you will be able to improve the image of your SME and increase your profits. 

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