KPMG and BT report: Insight response
July 2016 by Stephen Love, Security Practice Lead – EMEA , Insight UK
In response to the KPMG and BT’s Taking the Offensive – Working together to disrupt digital crime report, a response from Stephen Love, Security Practise Lead – EMEA, Insight.
KPMG and BT’s report urging businesses to take an active approach in the fight against cyber criminals is a welcome approach in the IT security industry. While defensive measures are crucial in protecting a business from attack, too often we are playing catch up. There might be a hole in a system that hackers infiltrate, so it is plugged with a patch. Now it is vital we begin to think proactively and stop the hole from ever appearing in the first place.
A worrying finding of KPMG and BT’s report is that only 22% of respondents believe they are fully prepared for cybercrime in today’s digital age. In addition to this, while 71% believe they have appropriate procedures and tooling, only 30% understand what the tools do and how they should be used. This is a clear indicator that businesses need to upskill their employees in order to stop digital crime before it causes damage, rather than simply reducing the fallout.
Every employee should have a thorough understanding of the technology and tools in place that protect the business from cybercrime. Employee training and support is crucial here. Yes, the industry needs to go on the offensive against cybercrime, but it must start from the ground up. It is one thing to wrap a company in security solutions, but they will not be optimised if your employees don’t understand how to use them and stay safe.