Three ways to optimise IT and cyber security

As organisations settle into the new way of work and look to 2021 and beyond, many will aim to optimise the IT investments they made during 2020 to shore up their cyber security. With remote work here to stay and the 9-to-5 workday potentially obsolete, there will be increasing cost and risk associated with managing IT and protecting the organisation from emerging cyber threats, particularly as 5G networks come online.

There are three things organisations can do now to optimise their IT investments to prepare for the next normal, while securing the organisation against cyber attack:

Adopt automation
The increasing ability of computers to learn and intelligently carry out process tasks means organisations will continue to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) that drives automation. This frees up employees from costly, time consuming and often error prone manual tasks, letting them do what they do best: come up with ideas on how to do business better. Automating cyber security lets the organisation cost effectively monitor IT systems 24/7 and detect and respond to security threats at a scale. This strengthens the organisation’s security posture because it significantly reduces the risk of human error that could result in a financially and reputationally damaging cyber breach. Optimised workplaces consider cyber security as part of every business process, with automated security tools embedded in both manual and automated IT workflows.

Consolidate IT infrastructure
Consolidating IT infrastructure delivers multiple organisational benefits including improved operational efficiency, reduced complexity, enhanced employee productivity, reduced cost and the ability to recover from IT system failures more quickly. Historically, organisations have addressed IT as a problem-solving mechanism rather than as a strategic contributor to business success. Over time, this has resulted in piecemeal legacy applications that don’t necessarily talk to each other and can cause workflow and security challenges. With the adoption of cloud-based applications, now is the time for organisations to audit both legacy and new IT and security infrastructure, including potential future infrastructure investments, from the perspective of how they impact business process efficiency and the organisation’s security posture. Businesses should identify where there are opportunities to consolidate infrastructure and remove redundant applications and infrastructure.

Outsource cyber security management
Outsourcing IT security management shores up cyber security while saving organisations time and money because managed security services providers (MSSPs) are completely focused on cost-effectively reducing security risks. This provides a strong security posture by maintaining the most up-to-date security measures and reducing vulnerabilities across the organisation’s network and infrastructure. MSSPs continually seek to optimise costs and efficiencies with IT security while ensuring compliance. Using an outsourced service frees up expensive in-house IT resources so they can focus more on planning and implementing strategies that drive greater business process efficiencies and support innovation.

More information about how to optimise your IT investments and shore up cyber security can be found in our Business adaptation series: optimisation whitepaper. To help your organisation identify the next steps it needs to take to optimise business processes, while maintaining cyber security and eliminating vulnerabilities, contact the expert team at Nexon today.