Sanjeet Kumar Sen

Country Marketing Manager - Cloud & SMB

Symantec Corporation

 

It got me thinking when I read that computer users will spend 1.5 billion hours and USD 22 billion, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware. Our digital lives have become so important that we need to keep the same focus in protecting our digital lives as we do in the real world. Imagine yourself to be attending an event or at a hotel and tweeting. Not only the world knows your thoughts but would also know your physical location. Another classic but a dangerous example - eBanking has replaced the traditional way of banking. If your online password is hacked, you would lose your hard earned money and assets built over several years. Heartburn, stress would impact your physical and mental sanctity. As the old age saying goes Health is Wealth has to be now replaced with the new age Mantra - Digital Health is Wealth.

Attackers are methodical and systematic. They are continuously looking at entry points where they can capture sensitive and confidential information. All of us have information online – mobile devices, social media profiles, etc. which become an easy source for attacks. Password hacking attacks, Social Engineering, Phishing are creating fears amongst individuals as well as organizations.

The key is to be aware of security risks and how to manage them. In today’s challenging IT environment, growing businesses need to be security ready as they are more flexible in empowering their employees with mobile solutions. In a recent discussion, BYOD is a nightmare and pose the maximum threat to the security team of any organization. It won’t be wrong to term it as Bring Your Own Devil.

Prevention is Better than Cure - IT Security professionals should constantly update themselves on the latest threats and ensure that they are at least one step ahead of the attack curve. IT managers need to place an overlapping defense strategy, making it more and more difficult for the attacker to succeed at the various stages of a data breach. In any organization, the security manager should be able to understand the risks, understand the infrastructure (end points) and identify the likely points of attack. They should look to develop and enforce IT policies which will protect information and identities.

IT managers should protect what matters most – information, personal privacy and digital assets, regardless of location or device. The three ways to do the same are

• Understanding the context and relevance of data through intelligence and ultimately developing better efficiencies 

• Making information available, accessible and secure – no matter what 

• Driving governance to show how solutions work effectively in line with regulatory requirements or internal best practices

Stay wise and secure and remember the new Mantra of the current and future times – Digital Health is Wealth.