Protecting your organisation against cyberattacks.

In the aftermath of the Wannacry virus attack, I had a feeling that a repeat attack was likely. Yesterday, the Petya attack took hold. It’s another example of a cybercriminal underground activity. More worryingly, Petya resembles a well-developed cyber attack, which has no straight-forward remedy.
 
It looks like Ireland has escaped the brunt of it. But the reality is that traditional organisations in Ireland have long under-invested in security protection. That aspect is slowly and surely changing.
 
Technology is now at the root of our clients’ organisational strategy. All strategic frameworks encompass four simple pillars: Financial Objectives; Value Proposition; Business Process Management; People/knowledge.
 
I’m convinced that organisations now realise that they can secure a competitive advantage once they secure their data. Data security gives our clients the ability to fulfil their business objectives concerning each of their four strategic pillars.
 
At the time of writing this, companies across the globe will restrict the impact of these virus attacks, emphasising the need for vigilant end user behaviour to restrict the Petya virus’s impact. However, that doesn’t get to the root of proper organisational strategy. It amounts to firefighting in reaction. The uncertainty when reacting to attacks creates pandemonium – and that’s not healthy for any organisation.
 
Irish companies are now investing in security provisions because they realise its value. Without technology at the heart of organisational strategy, consumers are ultimately affected. Output is restricted. Optimality is limited.
 
Good organisations are disciplined in their execution of strategy. Great organisations prepare, plan and execute on their objectives. Understanding that practical day-to-day operations are affected by a lack of security.
 
Organisations with a greater foresight understand the lethality of hacking to brand value. These companies understand the capacity of hacking extends to the brand. And what’s a brand? To me, a brand is a promise; a promise a group of people make to one another to consistently delivering upon their organisation’s mission, vision, values, culture and strategic objectives.
 
As I mentioned, the oft-quoted emphasis about monitoring end user behaviour is sound advice.
 
The Petya malware is toxic because it infects the computer’s MBR (master boot record) before encrypting the entire hard drive. To avoid this rapid onslaught, it’s best to avoid clicking on suspicious emails.
 
What I cherish about serving as CEO of INNOVATE is that we place the same value in organisational strategy and the elements that make our clients successful. INNOVATE solutions offer effective security that protects and detects viral threats while also reducing the potential impact of ransomware attack.

Jim Hughes, INNOVATE CEO.