When it comes to cybersecurity, are you an ostrich, a doomsday prepper or a Navy SEAL?

Making sure sensitive data stays private is a constant battle against the ever-increasing threat of cybercriminals. Cybersecurity is a must in modern society, and yet many company executives simply do not know how to approach it. A lot of these people don’t know enough about cybersecurity to put an emphasis on it, while others remain willfully ignorant about the threat hackers present to their companies.

In our many years dealing with cybersecurity through network security assessments, we’ve run into three kinds of executives present in the boardroom in terms of the security of their company’s data: ostriches, doomsday preppers and Navy SEALs. As such, we’d like to take some time to discuss what each of these personality types mean, and what you can do to avoid the bad ones.

Ostriches

Even outside of cybersecurity, everyone knows at least one person who fits this personality description. Ostriches are the people who absolutely refuse to face problems head on, instead opting to stick their heads in the sand in hopes that the conflict will resolve itself.

As anyone who has provided malware removal for an ostrich will tell you, this is by far the worst way to deal with the threat of a data breach. There are very few problems that actually go away by ignoring them, and cybercriminals certainly aren’t on that list. In fact, a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 79 percent of respondents had run into a security breach in the last year. Hackers are working tirelessly to steal your company’s information, and simply ignoring the problem isn’t going to make it disappear.

Doomsday preppers

Doomsday prepper executives are the ones in the boardroom constantly terrified of a cyberattack. They spend every waking hour worrying about cybercriminals, but they don’t have a strategic plan to protect company, resulting in over/under investing in solutions that don’t fit their need.

Although these executives are certainly right to be concerned – IBM found that the average consolidated cost of a breach of company data being $3.8 million – they take this fear entirely too far or not far enough. These people throw money away on state-of-the-art cybersecurity systems developed for military applications, when all their companies really need is a solid firewall and periodic malware removal managed services. Doomsday preppers may fare better in the market than ostriches do, but they tend to max out budgets or leave systems over exposed.

Doomsday preppers waste too much money on security systems they don’t need.

Navy SEALs

The Navy SEAL is the pinnacle of tactical precision. This soldier is world-renowned for his constant preparedness, and yet he’s never over-encumbered. A SEAL only carries what he needs into battle, and nothing he wears or owns is superfluous in any way. He is effective, efficient and always gets the job done.

This is the kind of executive you want to be when it comes to cybersecurity. The Navy SEAL in the boardroom knows about the constant threat of cyberattacks, and yet he does not over-prepare. He is aware of the threat and is possibly scared of a breach of his company’s data, and yet he does not allow his fear to paralyze him. He makes decisive, cost-effective moves that put his company in the best defensive position possible against hackers.

Of course, the executive Navy SEAL doesn’t develop overnight. Knowing which systems are necessary and which aren’t takes a lot of cybersecurity experience, something very few boardroom members have. The executives of a company already have a lot on their plate, and learning all of the intricacies of a proper security system simply isn’t an effective use of their time. They need outside help from experts in the field to guide them.

Thankfully, ISG Technology is here to help you on your journey toward Navy SEAL preparedness. Our years of experience within the cybersecurity field have given us the knowledge necessary to know what your company needs, and our trained technicians can help you understand what you should know about your security system. With managed services ranging from malware removal to firewall protection, ISG Technology can help secure your company’s data.