IT security
Nowadays, information technology is an essential component for any company. Many business processes are highly dependent on the availability of IT systems. It is therefore essential for companies to protect their IT systems from security threats.
Security objectives
IT security refers to all the planning, measures, and controls used to protect an organization's digital assets. This basically involves protection against unauthorized access, manipulation and disruption. In other words, it is about ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of IT systems and the data stored in these systems. Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the three most important IT security objectives and are also known as the CIA triad.
Risks
If the availability, confidentiality or integrity of IT systems is compromised, this can have serious consequences. A hacker attack could put confidential data in the wrong hands. If data or IT systems are manipulated, this could lead to incorrect bookings or production faults. If data or systems are unavailable due to a hardware failure, business processes that rely on these data or systems will be affected.
Measures
There are various measures that companies can take to increase their IT security. Well-known measures include virus protection, firewalls, backups and regular updates.
For companies that have their own IT infrastructure, vulnerability scans and pentests have become increasingly important. By having their IT systems regularly scanned for vulnerabilities, companies can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to a cyberattack.
Companies that have moved their IT to the cloud are also exposed to certain risks. To ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data in the cloud, measures such as ensuring proper access control and the encryption of sensitive data are indispensable.
