Did you know that the annual cost of cybercrime to the global economy doubled from 2015 till today and is estimated to reach 10.5 trillion USD by 2025? Two out of five companies in Europe have experienced security-related problems, and one out of eight businesses has been affected by cyberattacks.
Throughout the region, Microsoft has noticed an increased number of cyberattacks, which made both private and public organizations stay focused on enhancing resiliency to mitigate today’s threats, even as new ones continue to emerge.
Cybersecurity is the foundation for digital progress. It gives business leaders confidence to embrace the shift to the digital economy. It helps governments protect critical state functions and the public services we all rely on. It also gives us all the peace of mind to live our digital lives to the fullest, knowing our personal data is kept secure and private. Prioritizing the cybersecurity aspect in the application of advanced technologies, Microsoft implements security by design to its every project and solution. The company is working closely with our users and customers to increase the capacity of the region. Together, we are playing our part in helping build a brighter, more secure digital future for Central and Eastern Europe.
Prevention is better than cure
Technology and cyber risk can’t be treated as IT and security teams’ issue. Attackers seek to exploit any existing opportunity, so while recovery solutions are imperative, it’s on all of us to seek out cybersecurity training and ensure our online safety. Business leaders and policymakers need to renew and sustain their strategic emphasis on security to unlock quicker digital growth and the benefits it can bring to the economy and society. Here are some methods to achieve this:
- Protect identity & endpoints for strong zero trust foundations – Today’s organizations need a new security model that adapts more effectively to the complexity of the modern environment, embraces the hybrid workplace, and protects people, devices, apps, and data wherever they’re located, which is why Zero Trust needs to be amplified. Never trust; always verify.
- Modernize security and defend against threats – As we navigate the hybrid future, in addition to facing more sophisticated threats and a more complex regulatory environment, security tools also need to evolve. Organizations need to stay ahead of attackers to end attacks before they happen and cause damage, highlighting the need for a unified and efficient SecOps experience and streamlined process leveraging automation and orchestration. If an incident does occur, organizations need to be armed with the tools to quickly verify the impact and remediate it.
- Secure cloud infrastructure in and outside of Azure – The infrastructure, data, and apps built and run in the cloud are the foundational building blocks for a modern business. No matter where you are in your cloud journey, you likely utilize every layer of the cloud – from IaaS to PaaS to SaaS. More and more organizations today also have a multi-cloud and/or a hybrid strategy to maximize business impact, but at the same time, such a strategy complicates security. Organizations today need a security solution that offers multi-cloud protection across every layer for a strong security posture.
- Protect and govern sensitive data – Data is the lifeblood of any organization. How business data is handled and processed becomes increasingly important as the amount of data is growing at an unprecedented rate and leaving the corporate firewall in the hybrid world. Organizations want to be equipped with the tools to understand their vast data landscape; they need to identify and classify sensitive data to ensure proper protection, apply data loss prevention policies, and meet data compliance or regulatory requirements.
- Manage and investigate risk – A comprehensive security approach is not just about defending against external attacks but also about addressing internal threats. Insider threats are on the rise. Sometimes they are intentional, and often not, but the impact from either can be very costly. Because it is difficult for organizations even to recognize these insider threats, much less distinguish between routine behavior and the outlier that could be detrimental to the business, organizations need tools that can intelligently identify and detect which activities are highly likely to pose real security threats, even inadvertently.
“We take exceptional care of the management of the environment and the possibility of adequate monitoring, so all our security solutions are integrated with the Endpoint Manager through full integration, the advantages of automation, and quick and easy application of system improvement recommendations are realized. Solutions such as Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel provide threat protection and cloud security, while Microsoft 365 Compliance safeguards data across clouds and apps and identifies risks while managing end-to-end compliance and reducing risks of threats,” explains Jelena Bratic, Cloud security advisor at Microsoft.
Even when all solutions are in place, security cannot be reached without proper ways of handling those solutions. For cybersecurity to work, people need to acquire a new set of skills to be in touch with innovation.
Inspire your employees to be cyber defenders
Technology is a tool that exists to serve people, not the other way around. It must meet the needs of people and recognize the diverse needs of people in different parts of the world. At Microsoft, we make sure that it stays that way. Knowledge is powerful. To prevent the attack from happening, it is imperative to improve processes and invest in people. It is crucial to motivate employees and invest in knowledge and personnel who will adequately manage complex systems. At Microsoft, we are actively working on educating employees who can sharpen their technical skills and knowledge of Microsoft solutions by enrolling in interactive courses and training. Leaders should be front liners when it comes to innovation and adapting procedures and processes that will provide businesses with higher security performance. Leading by example is the best way to show employees how cyber hygiene should be done.
