Top Five Information Security Program Pitfalls Enterprises Must Address

For enterprises to achieve compliance with internal and regulatory standards effectively, an efficient information security program must be conceptualized, developed, implemented, and maintained. The capability of an enterprise to meet its obligations under customer contracts depends critically on its security program. The perpetual attention should be switched to sustaining ongoing compliance once initial compliance for the established, in-scope controls is attained.

A variety of mistakes can destroy even the most well-intentioned and well-planned information security systems. Experts in the area have noticed that the mistakes that affect clients’ businesses most while dealing with them in the InfoSec field are consistent.

These frequent information security program mistakes are listed, along with some advice on how to prevent them.

Having trouble seeing how security fits into the company’s objective

The information security program will eventually get off track or fail completely if company goals and objectives are not in line with the security program’s scope.

For instance, if a new product or service is launched on the market without taking into account related information security risks and controls.

Executive support will wane if the security program does not meet the company’s vision, goals, and objectives. Companies frequently change their business models, so it’s critical to continually assess how well security programs connect with the company’s direction.

Also Read: CISOs Playbook to Harden Application Programming Interface (APIs) Cyber Security

Choosing a consulting company that won’t do the grunt work

It is generally a waste of information security budget funds to choose an advisory company rather than a partner who handles most of the strenuous lifting.

Advisory firms often advise businesses on what has to be done to satisfy standards, evaluate their work, and point out any flaws while doing little to none of the actual documentation needed to comply with regulations.

On the other hand, professional services companies will collaborate with the business, carrying out a sizable portion of the work. They may also manage information security initiatives from inception through audit(s) and beyond for continuous compliance and development.

Leaving out security expenses from budgets

The efficacy of the program as an entirety is sometimes harmed by unrealistic ongoing cost estimates or budget exclusion of ongoing management and constant improvement charges to assure continued compliance.

The success of an information security program will be undermined if information security is not treated as a crucial and financially supported part of business operations.

Additionally, a company will be able to prevent future expenditures and possibly enormous losses as a result of using “shortcuts” in an underfunded program by budgeting realistic costs for continuous security monitoring and improvement.

Treating security as a temporary objective rather than a constant project

In addition to undervaluing the security program, treating security initiatives like sprints rather than journeys puts the company’s information security in serious danger. Long-term security will be compromised if an information security program is just implemented to satisfy a client requirement.

Also Read: Key Lessons for Enterprises to Remain Secure When Developing and Using Open-Source software

Information security is an ongoing cycle of improvement; there is no end point, making it similar to managing a software business.

The organization, customers, and other entities with a stake in the success of the information security program are not served by sitting on one’s hands throughout the review cycle and then scurrying in the final moments as an audit date approaches.

Hosting audits without knowledgeable assistance

When conducting audits independently, the auditor nearly invariably comes to negative conclusions. This may be readily avoided by involving an impartial resource that is exceptionally aware of the company’s information security management system and has expertise with information security audits that are particular to a security framework.

There are “rules-of-engagement” to take into account and major audit complications that need to be handled, irrespective of the kind of information security audit and the framework compliance is scored against.