The Future Is Secure: Understanding the Importance of Security by Design

In today's digital age, cybersecurity has finally become a top priority for organizations across all industries — especially in real estate after last year's events. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated by the day, and data breaches can have devastating effects on businesses.

Despite this, many organizations still take a reactive approach to cybersecurity, only implementing security measures after a breach.

However, there is a better way to approach cybersecurity – one that offers greater protection against attacks and reduces the risk of data breaches. This approach is known as Security by Design.

A friend of mine who is a chief information security officer for a real estate brokerage was discussing last year's incident and his achievement of SOC-2 compliance. During our conversation, he mentioned how implementing Security by Design was crucial to achieving SOC-2 compliance.

We discussed how Security by Design involves incorporating security measures at every part of an organization rather than adding them as an afterthought. He said implementing Security by Design enables organizations to recognize and mitigate potential security risks early on, therefore ensuring compliance with industry standards and SOC-2. That raised another question for me.

What is Security by Design?

I learned that Security by Design is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that involves integrating security measures into an organization's operations and culture from the ground up.

Instead of treating security as an afterthought, Security by Design requires security to be an integral part of an organization's design and development processes. This helps to create a more secure foundation for an organization's digital infrastructure, making it less vulnerable to cyber threats. It's a practice I have been taking for a long time within my own environments.

How does Security by Design work?

Security by Design involves a range of practices and techniques that help to embed security into an organization's culture. These include things like adopting a risk management approach to security:

• By integrating security into the software development life cycle
• Providing regular security training and education to employees
• Regularly updating and patching systems to address vulnerabilities.

By making security a part of an organization's DNA, it becomes much more difficult for cybercriminals to exploit weaknesses in an organization's security measures.

Why is Security by Design important?

The importance of Security by Design cannot be overstated. Cyber threats are growing in sophistication, and the consequences of a data breach can have a devastating impact on businesses and their customers.

The financial cost of a data breach can be significant, and damage to an organization's reputation can is more difficult to recover from.

By adopting a Security by Design approach, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and mitigate the impact of data breaches if they do occur.

How do I Benefit from Security by Design?

Adopting a Security by Design approach offers a range of benefits for your organization. It helps to create a more secure floor for an organization's digital infrastructure, reducing the risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks. It can also help to reduce the cost of cybersecurity by preventing breaches before they occur and minimizing the impact of breaches that do occur — it is not a question of if a breach occurs, it is when.

In addition, it can improve an organization's brand reputation, product, or services. It is a demonstration of your commitment to security and data protection.

How to Implement Security by Design?

Implementing Security by Design takes a lot of work to implement and maintain. The whole approach requires a fundamental shift in how organizations approach cybersecurity. There are a range of best practices and techniques that organizations can adopt to embed security into their operations and culture. These include things like:

• Conducting regular security audits
• Adopting a risk management approach to security
• Integrating security into the software development life cycle
• Providing regular security training and education to employees
• Regularly updating and patching systems to address vulnerabilities.

By implementing these best practices in a strategic and coherent way, organizations can make Security by Design an integral part of their culture.

Be Proactive!

In today's digital age, cybersecurity should be a top priority for all organizations. According to Verizon's 2023 Data Breach Investigative Report, over 74% of data breaches are cause by human actions. These are either through social engineering or phishing scams that continue to innovate on fooling their victims for access to an organizations data vault.

A reactive approach to cybersecurity is no longer enough. Adopting a proactive Security by Design approach is essential to mitigate the risks associated with cyber threats. Leverage an IT Services or Managed Service Providers organization that offers cybersecurity services. They can at least assist in monitoring your digital environment. If you need assistance evaluating any services or having a conversation about Security by Design, call me, David Gumpper.

Embedding security into an organization's culture and operations from the ground up creates a more secure foundation for its digital infrastructure and significantly reduces the risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks.

Implementing Security by Design requires a fundamental shift in how organizations approach cybersecurity, but the benefits are clear – greater protection against cyber threats, reduced risk of data breaches, and a more secure future for businesses and their customers.

To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.