The security of enterprise data was once the domain of IT and a few specialists who tracked intrusion events and maintained company firewalls. But even in today’s environment, which typically includes a chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO), enterprise security collaboration can help IT leaders increase knowledge of corporate exposure to cyberattacks, spread it beyond the aforementioned specialists and improve upon internal precautions that have become inadequate to protect information assets.

Involve Top Management

Security has become a common topic at every level of the enterprise, though detailed understanding of the specifics is generally incomplete. More than half of the business and IT executives queried for PwC’s “Global State of Information Security Survey 2017,” indicated that their organizations had a CISO to drive security efforts.

The CISO should participate in critical discussions about enterprise strategy and help determine which considerations should be included in current and future planning. Progressive organizations should have these leaders advise their boards of directors so that informed decisions can be made about budget allocations and project priorities.

Implement Cloud- and Network-Based Cybersecurity

Every company needs to have its own security experts to stay current with threats and their potential impact on enterprise data and operations. Threats have expanded exponentially in volume, origin and type, making the task of understanding and responding to daily intrusions impossible for a small team to handle.

Enterprises are turning to security-as-a-service (SECaaS) to supplement their internal efforts. SECaaS providers draw on large-scale networks of people and processes to gather threat intelligence from around the globe and process it in real time to anticipate and respond to cyberthreats for their clients. The consolidation of resources, coupled with large-scale analytics, enables enterprises that don’t have the same level of resources available internally to protect their critical assets.

Collaborate Across the Enterprise

Cyber breaches are not limited to entry through computer networks. The traditional practice of social engineering, which relies on personal contact and persuasion to obtain critical information, is still alive. But cybercriminals are constantly finding new avenues to extract data. Enterprises need to advise employees on what to watch for and how to detect intrusion attempts.

Companywide cybersecurity awareness can help thwart attacks before they become critical and cause damage. In addition to internal education and conversation, companies should coordinate their knowledge efforts with other organizations in their industries. Cyberthreats often target multiple companies in similar industries once they have discovered common vulnerabilities.

Enterprise Security Collaboration Enables Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is at the top of most companies’ agenda. That transformation usually involves some use of cloud-based resources to improve performance and speed innovation. But as companies leverage these resources, those efforts can be targeted for exploitation by cyberthieves. Securing these new avenues and technologies is paramount.

Fortunately, SECaaS providers employ similar resources to collect and analyze data and provide aggressive defense against intrusion. When companies combine technical services with informed staff, they are able to build and maintain effective protection against cyberthreats.