As 2019 winds down, we've decided to dig through the Silent Breach archives and review the numerous challenges, lessons, and solutions that this year has presented. What we've come up with is a list of the top five cybersecurity resolutions to make 2020 a cyber-success!              
 
1. Move from DevOps to DevSecOps
Over the last several years, DevOps has dramatically transformed the way in which software is designed, developed, and delivered. Together with innovations such as Agile and Continuous Integration, DevOps has led to an increasingly rapid and inter-disciplinary software development life cycle (SDLC), leading to more robust and responsive applications. But with this push toward speed and flexibility, software has in some ways become even less secure. The solution? DevSecOps.

DevSecOps begins with DevOps' commitments to continuity and automation and merges them with the principle of security-by-design, creating a single, streamlined SDLC that is both more efficient and more secure. It is becoming increasingly obvious that everyone, from the CEO down to the secretary, has a role to play in cybersecurity. Therefore, rather than consolidating security into one team or department, DevSecOps seeks to distribute responsibility throughout the development lifecycle as well as throughout the organization.

More info on the benefits, challenges and methods of DevSecOps

2. Partner with a Managed Security Service Provider
According to recent reports, Managed Security Service expenditures are set to double to nearly $50 billion by 2023. As the tech industry continues to mature and cybersecurity skills shortages climb to record highs, many firms are turning to Managed Security Service Providers (or MSSPs) to help shore up internal security gaps. But this is only half the story; the truth is that there are a number of advantages that MSSPs provide over traditional in-house IT departments including: focus, cost effectiveness, superior protection, compliance, scalability, and SLAs.

How to Choose a Cybersecurity Firm: Reading Between the Lines

3. Invest in Continuous Monitoring
The past decade has seen the meteoric rise of various SaaS applications, and cyber security is no exception. Now, with products like Quantum Armor, you can monitor dozens of applications and thousands of endpoints with a simple subscription model. To put it in other terms, for the cost of a junior developer, you can have real-time port & configuration monitoring, log parsing, threat forecasting and emerging cybersecurity trends bundled up and delivered to you each day, all before you've finished your morning coffee. If that sounds like a great deal, it's because it is.

4. Cultivate a Cybersecurity Culture
This may initially seem insignificant, but the truth is that security experts can only go so far. Information security cannot be contained in a set of regulations or handed off to a security department. To be effective, it must lead to a complete transformation in organizational priorities and culture.

For example, in the infamous WannaCry attack, Microsoft had already released a patch that would have defended against the malware that ravaged across 150 countries and created billions in damage in less than 24 hours. The reason it didn't work is because healthcare providers failed to update their systems on time, resulting in outdated operating systems that remained vulnerable to archaic threats.

Accordingly, any security strategy must create a dynamic of shared responsibility at its core if it is to be at all effective. This means introducing training workshops, awareness programs, and top-down messaging that shows employees that your organization takes cybersecurity seriously.

5. Empower Your CISO
It has become somewhat cliché to say that cybersecurity is no longer exclusively an IT job, but needs to be a company-wide effort. But the reality is that CISOs are both the newest C-level executives and the least understood. According to recent estimates, by 2022, only 5% of CISOs will report security metrics that are useful for senior executives. On the other hand, the majority of CISOs report that their corporate boards are not actively involved in security operations.

The ability of CISOs to function as a core member of the board will be the defining security trend of 2020. In crucial ways it will be cultural adjustments such as these that will provide the sorely needed increases in expenditures and commitments necessary for an effective and efficient cybersecurity program.

Here are Four Steps to Implementing Cybersecurity in the Boardroom