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The Growing Need for Cybersecurity Advisors. But how do you select the right one for your business?

Cyber beaches continue to make waves across almost all industry verticals. Whether your business is large or small, your people, technology, and information could be in the crosshairs of the next cyber-criminal. Over the past year, we’ve seen increasing instances of data exposures, extortion attempts, and crippled business across both critical infrastructure and supply chain vendors, resulting in reputational damages, the inability to serve customers, and even businesses closures. The reality is that our world is continuing to grow as connected businesses and society, one in which information that we need to make informed decisions is a mouse click away. As such. it is necessary for business leaders to understand, prepare for, and prioritize the protection of technologies in our digital world.

Cyber risk is a business risk at the end of the day.  But navigating the uncertainties of today’s cyber threats and ensuring your business has an effective plan of action is not an easy task. It is one which requires focus, expertise, and true understanding of how your business serves and enables its customers. A cybersecurity advisory partner can help you and your business navigate uncharted waters with the goal of getting you to your destination safely.

Are you needing help in protecting those precious things which you’ve spent years building? Let’s take a closer look at how a cyber partner can help add a layer of protection around your nest egg:

Selecting the right advisor for your business

The journey of building, maintaining, and maturing a cybersecurity program is unique for every business. Some organizations require support when it comes to identifying and addressing security gaps within business systems; others may seek support in developing an effective and scalable culture of security. Ultimately, the needs of an organization relating to protecting their business, will grow and evolve over time, just like the evolution of products and services.

Regardless of their role or function, the most important part of hiring the right cybersecurity advisor is feeling confident that their roadmap to securing your success aligns with your business goals and objectives.

Selecting a cybersecurity partner doesn’t have to be a daunting task, however. Let’s examine a few things to consider in your selection process:

  • Does the advisor have accessible resources with a wide range of functions and capacities in the event that they do not specialize in a specific subject matter?
    •  In this instance, they would be able to leverage a network of subject matter experts, as necessary, to better serve their customers’ needs.
  • Do they have your company’s best interest at heart?
    • The right advisor will focus on getting to know your company inside and out. They will provide the right security needs for your organization at the present time, considering cost and available internal resources.  The right partner will take care in building a trusting relationship, centered on transparent communication, timely feedback, and consistent collaboration.
  • Are they will be personable, in their interactions?
    •  A good cybersecurity advisor is someone who can relate to you and your businesses’ pain points, someone who you genuinely enjoy working with.

Advisors Serve as An Extension of Your Team

Before you consider hiring a cybersecurity advisor, it’s important to consider why you may need them. For example, have you determined if someone already working within the company may be able to support this need? Do they have the right skills necessary to perform these duties? If so, are they a full-time or part-time employee? Can they effectively manage the task themselves would they need additional support? These are very important questions to keep in mind as you look for cybersecurity support, internal or external, for your organization.

As you embark on enabling and better securing your business, realize that we’re all in this together. You’re not alone, and there are dedicated folks out there like @Valor-Cybersecurity committed to keeping your business running smoothly and securely so you can have increased peace of mind.  While you won’t accomplish these efforts overnight, you’re well on your way by taking the first step forward!

If you have questions or are interested in a collaborative conversation, reach out to our team of experts at www.valor-cybersecurity.com or email us at info@valor-cybersecurity.com.

Authors: Jeff White and Greg Tomchick