If money is no object, you can implement as many cybersecurity tools as there are available to secure your organization. But having the latest and greatest security technology doesn’t guarantee your data and applications are safe – you need to manage risk, not rely on cybersecurity tools alone.

More tools bring more complexity, which can be challenging to manage. You’ll have the illusion of being secure, but if you can’t make the most of your cybersecurity tools, you can still fall prey to the latest and greatest vulnerabilities and threats, which are constantly evolving. The best cybersecurity tools can still be misconfigured, underused or not even switched on.

Human error and inside threats can thwart even the best security technology, and the complexity that comes with excessive cybersecurity tool deployment can make for a bad user experience that hinders employee productivity or even spurs them to find workarounds that can put your organization at risk.

Overcompensating by spending a lot on cybersecurity tools that aren’t properly configured or fully used are especially risky for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) because it creates the illusion of robust security – if they aren’t fully optimized, applications and data aren’t protected.

Your risk management strategy should inform you cybersecurity tool investments.

Assess Your Risks First

It’s not a matter of if your organization will fall prey to a cybersecurity threat or data breach, it’s a matter of when. By understanding your risk factors, you can select the right tools and deploy them more effectivity without bogging down the organization with unnecessary complexity that does more harm than good.

The key to establishing and maintaining robust security is to adopt an “assess, protect and respond” mindset. Your cybersecurity tools should be chosen based on an assessment of your organization’s risk, understanding what your critical assets are, and identifying vulnerabilities.

Rather than trying to protect everything, you should do a thorough assessment of your critical assets – mission critical applications, sensitive information and intellectual property, and essential data.

Buying an elaborate cybersecurity platform and telling it to protect everything doesn’t guarantee it will protect your most critical assets. Once you identify them, you can assess how they might be threatened, how you can best protect them, and how you can mitigate any cybersecurity incident through a well-thought out response plan.

The reality is most SMBs can’t afford to deploy elaborate cybersecurity solutions, which means they must prioritize protecting their most critical assets from threats and vulnerabilities.

Risk-Based Cybersecurity Is A Continuum

No matter what cybersecurity tools you opt to deploy, managing security risk an ongoing affair – you can’t set and forget your security platform. Protecting your organization must also include ongoing security training for employees, keeping all applications and systems updated and patched, and continuous assessment and monitoring.

Taking a balanced approach also includes planning for the worst – you must have a response plan in place when a disruption occurs. Having great cybersecurity tools can help bolster your security posture, but they won’t safeguard your organization on their own.  

By evaluating and managing risk first, you can deploy the right cybersecurity tools that can help you to assess, protect and respond to any threats.