Invest Today, Secure Tomorrow with Cyber Defence in Depth

Layered defences for complex risks

A person using a phone in front of a cyberspace background

If you suffered a cyber attack or data breach tomorrow, would you be prepared?

Challenging economic conditions, with high inflation and low growth predicted to continue, mean that organisations like yours already have a tough time ahead of them. The last thing you need is a cyber attack or data breach.

Make sure you’re ready for the challenges of 2023 by implementing the cyber defences you need before it’s too late.

Developing and maintaining the ability to withstand the complex cyber security risks your organisation faces requires a multi-layered approach.

This means you have the right combination of physical, technical and administrative controls to safeguard your organisation, even if one of those defensive layers is breached.

GRC Solutions has all the free resources, products and services you need to implement a defence-in-depth approach to cyber security that addresses the evolving range of cyber risks your organisation faces.

View free resources

A person's face with graphs and charts superimposed

What does cyber defence in depth cover?

Cyber defence in depth covers five important elements: detection, protection, management, response and recovery.

From a base level of detection and protection to a programme of cyber security management, you need to know your cyber risks are under control so that if you do suffer a cyber attack or data breach, you have the right measures in place to contain and control it, and recover quickly and efficiently.

Who needs cyber defence in depth?

Every organisation needs all the stages of defence in depth, but some to a more comprehensive degree than others. As a rule, the larger the organisation, or the more valuable its critical assets, the more multifaceted its defences need to be at every level.

Cyber defence in depth is the only way to gain the peace of mind you need to focus on your day-to-day objectives and secure your organisation’s success.

Identifying and closing the gaps in your cyber security strategy

If you want to implement cyber defence in depth in your organisation, here are ten actions to tick off your checklist:

I’ve deployed vulnerability scanning

I’ve deployed quarterly phishing awareness training

My IT team has had cyber security training within the past 12 months

I have the necessary policies and procedures for GDPR compliance

I am Cyber Essentials/Cyber Essentials Plus certified

I have conducted a penetration test within the past six months

I have implemented the 2022 version of ISO 27001

I have an incident response plan

I have a business continuity plan

I have cyber insurance

The stages of cyber-defence-in-depth

Learn more about each stage and how we can help you implement and maintain your cyber-defence-in-depth programme.

Swipe to view more

Stage 1: Detection

Understanding the threats you face and where your cyber defences are most at risk of being breached is critical to securing your organisation against cyber attacks. This involves identifying and mitigating both technical and human vulnerabilities.

Stage 2: Protection

It is inevitable that some attacks will get past your defences, through threats such as zero-day attacks and well-designed phishing emails. It is therefore essential to implement more robust cyber security controls and ensure you have appropriately trained staff to manage cyber security defences and breaches.

Stage 3: Management

Managing cyber security risks requires a more intensive approach than simply implementing basic protections. Cyber security isn’t a destination – it is an ongoing process, requiring continual evaluation, maintenance and revision.

Stage 4: Response

Cyber criminals need to find only one weakness to infiltrate your systems, so it is essential to be prepared. The security measures you have implemented should minimise the impact of a successful attack, but how you respond is critical to limiting disruption and costs.

Stage 5: Recovery

Sometimes, recovering from a cyber attack or data breach can be far more disruptive than you planned for. More often than not, you will be able to restore enough critical services to be able to continue functioning, but it can take months to fully return to business as usual.

Whatever your resources or expertise, a defence-in-depth approach to cyber security will give you the best chance of mitigating the cyber security risks your organisation faces, so you can focus on your core business objectives without having to worry about coming under attack.