This month we continue to build on our recent theme of implementing the right policies and procedures to help your IT to do what you need it to, when you need it.
Get your BCDR policy right
In previous newsletters we have looked at formulating and implementing a BCDR policy. However, given the ever present and constantly evolving cyber threats, this is not something you can do once and never look at again! Below we highlight some key areas you might want to consider:
- The Cloud “I have Microsoft 365 so I don’t need to worry about backing up my data” – that depends… take a look at Microsoft’s Shared Responsibility model. You will quickly see that it’s crucial to understand what your package offers and what else you might need to do yourself
- Lost devices – if you have enabled all your relevant security, losing it doesn’t necessarily mean that your data is at risk but how do YOU now access what you need?
- Premises compromised – whether this is your office, your home office or home, thinking (in advance) about how you would be able to get access to your critical apps and data means that if the worst happens, you’ll already know the required next steps
- Disaster Recovery testing – having first implemented both your policy and required infrastructure, you can’t just leave it there… you need to test your BCDR plans to make sure they work, regularly review and update your requirements and ensure relevant personnel are prepped
Cyber security
You may have wondered why we spend so much time on cyber security but if you needed convincing, there is plenty of material out there to highlight the risks. According to the WEF 2023 Global Risks Report, cybercrime and cyber insecurity are ranked among the top 10 global risks in the next two to ten years. This recent WEF piece from February is worth a read as a timely reminder following the 1st anniversary of the Ukraine war of what threats could be lurking out there. Whilst we can’t control the bad actors, we can develop good cyber hygiene to protect ourselves as much as possible.