Cyber-security refers to the provision and the adequacy of security, safety and privacy of the data, the information, the projects and the processes run by businesses and organizations over the cloud / internet. Security of digital assets such as website, mobile app, social media accounts, content (text, image, video, VR), documents, e-mail, drive and chat accounts, CRM and ERP accounts etc. is an integral part of cyber-security. When a leader or a manager delegates a project to his/her team(s), the requirement is usually first shared by the external customer over e-mail and phone calls or physical visits, and the same mode of requirement disbursal is then followed by managers and individual employees in an internal manner. It thus becomes imminent that all this exchange of data and confidential information as well as the inherent communication needs a robust cyber-security framework to be present and operational in the first place.

A good cloud suite or CRM platform would already have fool-proofed, multi-pronged cyber-security features in place, keeping in mind the interests of the customers, the employees as well as the business overall. It goes without saying that every organization might want to be selective in the dissemination of what information goes out and what stays inside. Cyber-security proves to be effective on this front too. With competitors constantly keeping an eye on your operations and efforts, a safe and private manner of communication and working is only going to help you in the long run. You can continue to focus on your business KRAs, while layers of cyber-security protect your sensitive data and information against potential leakage.

Website and mobile app are two key digital business assets that are always at the forefront of cyber-risks such as hacks, spams and frauds. Same goes for e-mail, shared drives and social media accounts. Creating multi-layered login procedure helps reduce cyber-risk across all of these assets to quite an extent. Partly, the level of cyber-security also depends on the quality of your digital service providers (e.g., the platforms on which your website and app are hosted), as well as the security mechanism and architecture deployed by them against potential cyber-threats. Banks and their customers are prone to phishing e-mails, while talent acquisition industry stays prone to spammers and hackers.

Likewise, the financial services industry and the e-commerce industry also stay prone to similar risks. The point is – keep your cyber-security robust and up-to-date, and you will be able to focus on your core business in an unabated manner. Large organizations and multi-national corporations / conglomerates also keep a team of cyber-security experts handy at all times to counter and fend off such risks, akin to every organization hiring a legal expert or a legal team. The most common forms of cyber attacks are spams through e-mail that resemble the parent brand so closely that naïve customers and potential employees fall prey to them, and sometimes even end up losing money in the process.

A lot of awareness campaigns are regularly run by different governments, industry regulatory bodies as well as individual organizations to keep their customers and employees safe from all such risks. We commonly get advisory SMS from our banks, asking us not to share our confidential account information with anyone on call or elsewhere, even if the person claims to be an employee of the bank itself. Likewise, online purchase and payment transactions also need to be secured, and contemporary technologies such as UPI, internet banking and OTP-based banking are good counter-measures to this effect. Cyber-security, in essence, is the holistic set of framework, architecture, mechanism and measures built to protect customers, employees and businesses from online frauds and/or impersonations.

All in all, embrace cyber-security in its entirety and make yourself cyber-literate, so you or your business don’t fall prey to fraudulent transactions, offers, deals, people, mails, messages, posts, connection requests etc. Such traps can distract you from your core business, and such an experience could lead to loss of time, effort, money and resources. Indeed, prevention is better than cure.