3 Helpful Tips on Balancing Cybersecurity and Innovation

In the past, the concept of cybersecurity and innovation complementing each other was considered odd. Today, it is not only normal, but expected from CIOs. However, the stereotype that digital transformations and other forms of innovation would increase the occurrence of security incidents continues to affect organizational development.

This is heavily reflected in a survey conducted by Nominet, which asked over 270 C-level executives about cybersecurity risks influencing their digital transformations. Significantly, the survey revealed that organizations that experienced a cybersecurity attack in the past year were approximately 50% less likely to implement digital transformations in fear of making themselves more vulnerable.

Giva has compiled a short list of tips that can help organizations strike a balance between cybersecurity and innovation:

1. Do not wait until it is too late

   Proactive threat mitigation has too often been overlooked in the digital transformation process. Many businesses fail to take risk management into consideration in the early stages of their transformations with only a third of respondents to the survey saying that they do.

   The objectives of organization transformation initiatives should not be limited to increasing revenue and driving efficiency, rather it should also encompass security and promote trust in the business. Moreover, when developing security processes, innovation, ease of use and accessibility should be prioritized.

2. Outsource to the right people

   If an organization cannot afford or are in no need of an internal cybersecurity department, relying on a third-party for cybersecurity assistance seems like the most practical choice. This includes selecting software vendors that will not only help you achieve operational excellence, but also security. Giva offers a wide range of cloud hosted software for customer service, asset management, IT help desk and much more. All products boast HIPAA compliance and great attention to security.

3. Manage your end points well using integration technology

   Oftentimes, aspects of innovation that become great security hazards are end points. While initiatives like bring your own device make your systems more user friendly, they also leave them open and vulnerable to breaches. Striking a balance between security and innovation becomes difficult in such cases. Difficult, but not impossible. Organizations should manage end points by establishing threat mitigation guidelines and training for employees to follow, limiting the number of end points, monitoring them and ensuring that they have full visibility of them.