What matters, and what doesn’t.
Your business objectives
Each business has its own unique goals, milestones, operational techniques, and team. No two businesses operate in truly the same manner, even if they both sell the same type of tea set. Building a cyber security plan that supports your business objectives, and enhances the way you work, is critically important.
Defining your business objectives
There are four primary types of business objectives that must be catered for, supported, and enhanced, by your cyber security plan. These are:
- Compliance and regulatory objectives
- Financial objectives
- Operational objectives
- Strategic objectives
Below, we’ll outline the types of business objectives, and how these must be supported through your business’ cyber security plan.
Compliance and regulatory objectives
No business exists in a vacuum, free from legislation and regulation that governs the way it operates within the territories it does. Your business’ cyber security plan must:
- Abide by all legislation and regulations that are required by the countries and territories it operates in.
- Adhere to all contractual agreements as made through your business, in terms of securing assets and information, while assuring your customers and collaborators of excellent service.
- Be implemented in accordance with any rules and regulations linked to professional associations your business is a member of.
Financial objectives
Every business exists to make money, in some way. And yes, that includes non-profit organisations and community organisations. In differing ways, each business generates and attracts income to ensure its growth and ability to secure customers, and further attract potential new opportunities to generate future income. Your business’ cyber security plan must enhance your business’ ability to make money. At its heart, your cyber security plan could be used to generate an even higher return on investment, because your:
- Business operates more effectively.
- Customers, collaborators, and colleagues, can rest assured that their assets and information are as secure as possible. Growing customer confidence is directly linked to an increase in sales and positive sentiment.
- Business experiences fewer periods of downtime, and is easily able to respond to potential threats, as planned.
Operational objectives
Your business’ operational objectives form the matrix for your daily operations. Being able to maintain your productivity levels, ensure your customers are well-serviced, and your team able to work is key, but improving on those operational objectives is also important. To illustrate how operational objectives are influenced by cyber security, we’ll use the example of a hat shop running a sale:
Big Top Hats is opening a new store, and wishes to promote their opening sale through their Facebook page. The floor staff at Big Top Hats have been hard at work preparing the right stock and pricing for their big opening sale, and it’s now time to promote the sale online. Although Big Top Hats has several physical stores, they also run an online store, and use selected social media channels to advertise their products. They’ve been thrilled by the customer response, because their sales statistics reflect that, every time they advertise a sale or specific product online, their in-store sales figures are increased. But, as they’re about to launch their advertising via their Facebook page, their social media manager’s Facebook account is hacked, and their linked Business Page is deleted. How can Big Top Hats secure their Facebook page in the future, and be assured this won’t happen again?
Strategic objectives
Perhaps you’re considering an expansion into new territories, introducing a new product range, or implementing a different way of doing business within your company. Strategic changes, improvements, and shifts, must be catered for and supported by your business’ cyber security plan.
Matching your cyber security plan with your business objectives is vital, as this helps to ensure compliance and ease of adoption. ProPrivacy can help. Get in touch, and we’ll help you find ways to improve your business through implementing a robust cyber security plan.
Philipa is the lead consultant and auditor at ProPrivacy. With clients as far afield as Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Germany, Spain and other such exotic locations, besides Cork and elsewhere in Ireland, Philipa enjoys a broad view of the state of data protection, privacy and cyber security worldwide. Philipa’s passion is manageable data compliance for SMEs.
Philipa is a qualified teacher besides holding a computer science (Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Programming) and electronic and intellectual property law (LLB) qualified. She is trained in constitutional (fundamental) rights litigation and enjoys a good debate.
Philipa has over twenty years of experience working in different sized organisations and sectors on operational, governance, risk management and compliance matters. She is an analytical and focused person that enjoys a challenge in the workplace. She loves technology, systems and people and has a passion for showing people how technology can make life easier and better. She understands that the world is driven by data today but privacy is paramount. Responsibly developed AI excites Philipa for the future.