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Redefining A Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity

Our piecemeal approach to cybersecurity is broken, it is time for integration

By: Dominic Schulte, VP Client Experience

We are in the midst a computing revolution. More organizations than ever are taking the decision to migrate to the cloud or utilize a hybrid model. This migration was significantly expedited by the global pandemic, forcing individuals to work remotely while still maintaining access to business-critical systems and operations. Now that the first ‘crisis’ stage of the pandemic appears behind us in many countries, employees and employers alike have adjusted to the flexibility the pandemic necessitated, meaning a hybrid model – both in terms of working practices and cloud utilization – is more likely than ever. 

Redefining A Holistic Approach to Cybersecurity Image

Redefining Cyber 

We at Cerberus Sentinel have long believed cybersecurity is integral to the continuity of modern organizations. Cybersecurity encompasses many interconnected domains that are typically addressed through a conglomeration of external solutions managed by loosely coordinated but disparate internal teams. While compliance and audit are used to ensure that all the appropriate boxes are checked, the resulting cybersecurity program is inefficient at best, and more commonly riddled with gaps and unidentified risk caused by solutions that were never designed to work together. 

The complexities of an increasingly multifaceted cybersecurity reality have given rise to niche services and solutions – each a self-proclaimed ‘silver bullet’, forcing organizations into the challenging role of coordinating their internal efforts with a poorly fitting and ever-expanding patchwork of external vendors. Cerberus is charting a different course. We believe the best way to approach this digital diaspora is by rocking the foundations of cybersecurity solutions in favor of an integrated approach to cybersecurity solutions – an approach designed to address the core challenges of our clients like a completed puzzle, instead of dropping ill-fitting pieces into their laps for them to solve. 

The Multi-sourcing Models for Cybersecurity Procurement

When we talk about a multi-sourcing model, we are talking about splitting IT, Security and Compliance into 3 distinctly separate but ever-connected departments. While these departments are interrelated and co-dependent, they retain their own distinctive ownership of specific issues, despite these issues often impacting every department. This creates an increasingly complex and convoluted workflow, amongst each of these departments and their respective vendors. Solving core cybersecurity challenges in such a setup are inefficient at best, and completely ineffective at worst. In an industry where split seconds can mean the difference between succumbing to a security incident and remaining secure, a connected and holistic security approach can save valuable time, resources and even reputation.

Unifying Cybersecurity Domains Under the MCCP+ Banner

The addition of managed IT security (MITS) to the collaborative fold of cybersecurity solutions under the banner of MCCP is a response to the industry crying out for unification to solve business needs with the highest level of security, efficiency, and effectiveness. These integrated, security-engineered Cerberus Sentinel offerings are designed for the many businesses who have recognized their need for a fundamentally different approach to procuring various security solutions. One must suggest that the model of MCCP is outdated and in need of reimagining.

The integration of IT, Cybersecurity, and Compliance means organizations are imbued with the opportunity to work with a ‘one stop shop’ for all their security needs, providing businesses with a single point of contact which encompasses all their compliance, cybersecurity, and IT needs. MCCP+ also promises to offer a program that works at 100% maximum operational efficiency. By managing the entire workload associated with compliance, cybersecurity and IT deployment and support, the MCCP+ offering aims to eliminate the costly, time consuming and laborious work of introducing, managing, and stacking a series of internal teams and/or service providers in order to provide the full suite of necessary services: with a single relationship, instead of various SLAs and complex vendor relations. Finally, the holistic approach to cybersecurity promises maximized efficacy by allowing incoming security teams to distil customers’ aims into actionable and focused next steps, across each of the various cybersecurity domains.

The Healthcare Example 

One domain that is under a new and intense pressure is healthcare organizations who need a comprehensive audit of their security posture following the spate of recent cyberattacks targeting the valuable databases of information that they hold. Once we had completed an initial penetration test or risk assessment, the concerns of many companies were not alleviated but exacerbated, because they lacked the skills and requisite resources to address many of the problems that were identified. So, we remained in place in order to provide a fully integrated service to their IT infrastructure, both from an IT and a security perspective. It is these kinds of experiences that lead us to believe MCCP+ is such a necessary evolution of our company journey.

Reporting to Key Leadership is Essential 

The complexity and scope of these problems demand that effective cybersecurity programs produce meaningful reports and metrics that can be presented to the C-suite. That way the IT and security teams have ensured that risk and resources can be owned and assessed at the highest level. Only once this holistic approach has been shared with the top team can a solution be implemented, and an organization-wide culture be established. This cannot be a one-size-fits-all ‘solution,’ but one that works hand in hand with existing teams and policies to create a secure business environment and relieve the stress typically associated with cybersecurity.

Cultural Shift vs. New Technology Cybersecurity is a culture, not a product, so it is essential that institutions understand that there is no silver bullet for security. The best thing that you can do is foster a culture of security within your organization in such a way that it will emanate and resonate throughout your entire company. Solving these existential challenges as a team, united under the leadership of a security-aware and risk-informed executive team and board is one of the most important pieces of advice I would give to any enterprise that is aware their current cybersecurity efforts are lacking. Together, we will succeed.