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Secure the whole business

That is how we all should think of security: as a way of helping our companies achieve their goals. Security managers have discovered some key considerations for ensuring that security measures align with business objectives:

Securing the perimeter isn't enough. Monitoring and controlling the movement of data on endpoints gives an organization tremendous protection, since most unauthorized uses of data are performed on those endpoints after they've already successfully attached to the network.

Identifying internal threats is as important as catching outsiders. Insiders account for 70 percent of confidential information breeches.

Periodic vulnerability assessments leave gaps. Since malicious behavior happens daily, complement your routine audits with technologies that monitor actions on endpoints.

Device protection is not endpoint security. Hardening an operating system, disabling a USB port, and locking down certain functions isn't enough. Securing the endpoint means monitoring and managing it.

A business-focused approach to security enables companies to use security as a way to help them achieve their goals. Identifying internal threats, eliminating vulnerabilities, making data more reliable, and spending less administrative time on correcting errors is good for business. Remember: Our job is not to secure the network, our job is to secure the business.

Steve Hunt

Steve Hunt is a speaker, investor, advisor, and executive coach. An inductee into the cybersecurity Hall of Fame, he is a master at helping organizations identify solutions to complex problems and see invisible opportunities. As a strategic advisor to CISOs, CEOs and Boards of Directors, his primary goals are to identify major opportunities that can either dramatically generate new income streams or reduce costs in the shortest possible time. Companies that have benefitted from his counsel include British Petroleum, The White House, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Cisco, and IBM. He has appeared as an analyst on CNBC, Fox News, CNN, and other news programs. Steve’s diverse background lends a fresh perspective on business and society.

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