October isn’t just a month of scary movies, sweater weather, and all things pumpkin spice – this month is dedicated to cybersecurity awareness and is a time for the public and private sectors to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.
For the general public and organizations that do not specialize in cybersecurity, this month is a great opportunity to learn their role in protecting their digital assets, avoiding cyber threats, and staying safe online.
Here at Rhymetec, our cybersecurity experts are keenly aware of the risks clients face across many industries. Our experts act both in an advisory capacity and build and manage infosec programs for over 700 organizations.
This October, in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’ve asked them for one piece of advice they would give to a potential client or SaaS business. Here’s what they said:
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Tips From Our Experts
The following Cybersecurity Awareness Month tips are directly from Rhymetec’s experts, based on their experience working with a variety of clients across different industries:
“The best advice I would give to a potential client is to start with your employees! Humans are the biggest security risk. When planning to become compliant in any framework or just wanting to mature your security posture, start with personnel. You are only as strong as your weakest team member. Recurring security awareness training should be mandatory for all employees. Educating and reminding employees of malicious tactics used by cyber attackers will decrease the likelihood of your organization being victim to a security incident. Awareness is key.”
– Memori Hill
“You don’t have to go it alone! Security and Compliance are deep and ever-evolving wells of information. It can be difficult to dedicate effort and resources to building out an effective information security management system while also focusing on the day-to-day activities required to support and expand your business. We have an excellent team of Security experts eager and ready to help out.”
– Dakota Wright
“There are never too many controls in place to prevent a potential breach or a future incident. Depending on your geographical location as well as the type of data you handle, there are different types of compliances that may be required. Here at Rhymetec we offer a wide array of frameworks that we not only implement for you but manage as well, ranging from SOC 2 to FedRAMP. It’s not about if it will happen, but when it will happen.”
– Endri Domi
“Consistency is important. Staying on top of digital tools can help in staying efficient and avoid missing links and flaws. Use tools and software to help simplify compliance.”
– Leena Niazi
“Security for your cloud product should be between 7-15% of your overall monthly cloud budget to ensure you’re adequately protecting your assets. You wouldn’t buy an expensive car and then leave it unlocked with the keys inside in your driveway.”
– Aaron Butler
“Becoming compliant is more than just checking a few boxes on an excel sheet or pressing a button. True compliance requires security hardening measures that are customized to your business and tailored to your environment and customer base. A dedicated compliance team is the most successful way to pursue achieving a compliant status, as well as protecting yourself from internal and external threats.”
– Christian Mouer
“You can never be too prepared. It’s better to assume compromise and work backwards to build and test plans/responses than to assume you can’t be compromised and to be met with an unfortunate surprise. Threat actors only need to be right one time.”
– Dom Allen
“Never underestimate the bad guys.”
– Allan Cavazos
“Cyber security is not a DIY job. There are several domains within cyber security, and you need to have the skills and knowledge to understand these different domains. My one advice would be to hire professionals who understand governance/compliance and technical aspects of cyber security.”
– Metin Kortak
“Compliance may seem like an impossible feat, however, know it is possible, and Rhymetec can help you get there.”
– Pamela Tobón
“Although becoming compliant will improve the overall security posture of your business, no organization is truly infallible. Developing repeatable processes and a workplace culture that prioritizes security education and training will help reduce risk and allow your organization to adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape that SaaS solutions face today.”
– Sam Brokaw
“Your data is your most valuable asset. Don’t let outdated security practices put it at risk. Embrace robust compliance frameworks and partner with a specialized security team to stay ahead of emerging threats and build lasting customer trust.”
– Hunter Moreno
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Tips: Common Themes
A common theme that emerged from our experts’ Cybersecurity Awareness Month tips was the importance of proactive security measures. The bottom line is that you can never be too prepared.
It’s always better to have as many defensive measures in place as possible and avoid a security incident in the first place. Measures like security awareness training for employees to mitigate the human risk factor, putting your security hygiene to the test through regular penetration tests, and allocating sufficient resources to continuously improve your cybersecurity posture are crucial.
Another frequent answer we saw was that cybersecurity is not a DIY job! Hiring an external security team can substantially help organizations, especially in the early stages so that your security program can scale with your business growth. Virtual CISOs at organizations like Rhymetec have extensive experience balancing budgetary needs, usability, and security for start-up cybersecurity programs.
It’s not an easy balance, but leveraging an experienced partner can deliver huge amounts of specialized talent without the need to spend millions of dollars on an in-house security team. Managed Security Services Providers like Rhymetec have dozens of professionals across security disciplines like cloud security, compliance, web application security, penetration testing, and others.
They have experience applying these skills to startups and SaaS businesses in a way that drives real security outcomes as you scale while also considering your budget.
About Rhymetec
Our mission is to make cutting-edge cybersecurity available to SaaS companies and startups. We’ve worked with hundreds of companies to provide practical security solutions tailored to their needs, enabling them to be secure and compliant while balancing security with budget. We enable our clients to outsource the complexity of security and focus on what really matters – their business. Contact us today to get started.
Interested in reading more? Check out more content on our blog: