Wow, what a week it has been! As many of you are aware, there have been some significant developments in the cybersecurity world over the last couple of weeks. The ongoing challenges that are being dealt with by United Healthcare’s Change Healthcare Unit highlight for every business the need to understand the residual risks associated with an integrated critical supplier and to ensure that the necessary business continuity plans are in place to weather a storm such as the one here, which at this writing is now in its seventh day. Ask yourself what your business would do if something of this magnitude occurred to you, and do you have the necessary plans and procedures in place to address such a threat to your business?

Although it has been suggested that in this case it is the work of “a nation-state group,” the same thing could have been perpetrated by a criminal organization. Either way, the results are essentially the same: massive disruption to your customers and to your business.

Asking yourself key questions now before this type of disaster can strike your business is potentially critical to the health and welfare of your shareholders, employees, and customers:

A few key questions you should be asking are:

• Do you have plans in place to bypass critical supply chain partners in the event they are fully compromised—for the short term? The long term?
• Have you rehearsed these plans so that your people know what, why, when, and how to execute them?
• Do you have the necessary expertise and resources to address a challenge of this magnitude with your current team?

If your business is like most, then you may not like the answers you get when you press on these key questions for your organization. A shortage of available and affordable talent in the managed technology and cybersecurity services space only serves to exacerbate the situation for your company.

For many businesses, the solution is to find an organization to partner with, and it is our belief that a unified approach to managed IT services and cybersecurity operations is the only way to achieve the business outcomes that you are trying to achieve. If an organization such as the one above, with all its resources and capital, could not prevent a security incident like this one from happening to them, then it’s unlikely that your organization can handle it alone.

Find a partner you can trust—one that has a proven track record of operational excellence—that can be your shield against a potentially business-ending cybersecurity incident. A unified approach will give you greater efficiency, effectiveness, and economies of scale when building your critical business technologies.

About the Author:
Dr. Kevin Charest is a cybersecurity advisor to NETRIO. With over 30 years of experience in the field, he helps to educate our sales partners on solution-oriented strategies for their clients and assists in the delivery of cybersecurity services. He is a highly rated public speaker, frequently keynoting on cybersecurity topics at large events including HIMSS, (ISC)² Conferences, and GovTech. Dr. Charest holds a Ph.D. in Cybersecurity from Capella University. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of West Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Central Arkansas. He is also a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.

Learn more about Kevin on his LinkedIn Profile.