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As a mid-market business, it is essential to prioritize cybersecurity to protect your company’s data and assets. Cybersecurity threats are evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it more important than ever to have a comprehensive cybersecurity plan in place. In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps to create a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for your mid-market business.

Step 1: Conduct a Risk Assessment

A risk assessment is a critical step in creating a cybersecurity plan. It involves identifying potential threats, vulnerabilities, and risks to your organization. Conducting a risk assessment will help you understand your business’s security posture, identify areas that require attention, and prioritize your security needs.

To conduct a risk assessment, start by identifying your critical business assets, such as customer data, financial data, and intellectual property. Then, evaluate the potential threats to these assets, such as phishing attacks, malware, or insider threats. Finally, assess the vulnerabilities in your system that could be exploited by these threats. This step will help you identify the areas that need the most attention and prioritize your cybersecurity efforts.

Step 2: Develop Data Backup and Recovery Procedures

Data loss can occur due to many reasons, including system failures, natural disasters, or cyberattacks. Therefore, it is essential to create data backup and recovery procedures to ensure that your business can recover from data loss incidents quickly.

To create data backup and recovery procedures, start by identifying the critical data that needs to be backed up regularly. Determine how often backups should be taken and where they should be stored. It’s best to keep backups offsite, so they’re safe from physical damage or cyberattacks. Test the data recovery procedures regularly to ensure they work as expected.

Step 3: Establish Incident Response Procedures

Incident response procedures are crucial to ensure that your business can respond promptly and effectively to cybersecurity incidents. These procedures should outline the steps to be taken in case of a cyberattack, data breach, or other cybersecurity incidents.

To establish incident response procedures, start by identifying the potential incidents that could occur and create a response plan for each. Your plan should include steps for containment, investigation, and recovery. Ensure that the procedures are documented and communicated to all employees, so they know what to do in case of an incident.

Step 4: Implement Access Controls and Employee Training

Access controls are mechanisms that limit access to data and systems, preventing unauthorized access to critical business assets. Implementing access controls, such as two-factor authentication or least privilege access, can significantly improve your business’s security posture.

Employee training is also essential in creating a comprehensive cybersecurity plan. Training employees on cybersecurity best practices and how to identify potential threats can significantly reduce the risk of a successful cyberattack. Ensure that all employees receive regular training on cybersecurity, including phishing awareness, password hygiene, and data handling procedures.

In conclusion, creating a comprehensive cybersecurity plan is essential for mid-market businesses. It involves conducting a risk assessment, developing data backup and recovery procedures, establishing incident response procedures, and implementing access controls and employee training. By following these steps, your business can reduce the risk of a successful cyberattack and protect critical business assets.

Not interested in managing this all internally? Performive can provide managed security services combining the latest security technologies and our subject-matter experts that personally manage your systems. 

Chat with one of our Sales Engineers about how Managed Security Services with Performive can give your organization time back.