93% of large corporations and 87% of small businesses reported a cyber breach in the past year.
Source: Keeping the UK safe in cyber space
You can’t go from one day to the next without hearing about yet another cyber crime. The UK Cyber Security Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to dealing with the problem and making the UK a world leader in tackling the cyber threat. But it is not all about what the Government can do. UK businesses also need to take their share of the responsibility. The big question is how?
Enter IRM – the smart way to manage your information risk and protect your assets.
There’s a lot you can do to counter the cyber threat, and smart Information Risk Management (IRM) is the framework for managing the whole process and measuring its effectiveness.
But what exactly is IRM?
IRM is a tricky concept to define. We hope our new infographic above helps to bring a bit of clarity.
Smart IRM allows you to identify, understand and manage the risks to your information within the context of your organisation’s unique business needs. In a nutshell, it’s all about balance.
Here at Ascentor, we believe that an effective IRM system will reduce the risks to the information you hold and deliver wider benefits to your business enabling you to balance information security with commercial opportunity.
A balanced approach
It is in your own interest to ensure that information critical to the success of your business is kept secure. But, as a commercial firm, you also need to ensure that the information is accessible by the right people and at the right time so that it can be used in the most efficient and profitable manner. How do you balance these two aims?
By taking a mature approach to IRM, you can balance your own business needs with your information security requirements and achieve appropriate levels of protection.
What smart IRM can do for your business:
- Identifies and protects your valuable information, reducing your exposure to cybercrime
- Delivers a tailor-made risk assessment that is appropriate to your business
- Allows you to make better commercial and strategic decisions
- Gives you more confidence to choose new technologies, including cloud-based solutions, social media and BYOD
- Provides the levels of security that matches your business needs
- Offers a lean, agile approach that you can refine as the situation changes
- Takes a targeted approach allowing you to allocate investment carefully
- Provides a holistic view taking into account the human face of risk – people are often the weakest link
- Avoids the tick-box approach to security that actually delivers no real business or security benefit.
Smart IRM is about taking control of your business – it offers the right amount of protection while leaving you free to achieve your commercial goals. Yes, it’s a balancing act. But without it, you are leaving your business dangerously exposed.
“Anti-virus providers generally conclude that security “attacks” globally are in the billions, and levels are increasing.”
Source: Cyber crime – A review of the evidence
More ideas to help you
We have lots of valuable content on the subject of IRM to help you protect your information assets:
- If you are a private sector firm, download The Board’s Guide to Information Risk
- If you are an HMG supplier, sign up for our new guide, The Supplier’s Guide to IRM.
We’re here to help when you need it.
