Three ways to use business downtime to boost cybersecurity

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Celia Paulsen, cybersecurity services specialist at National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), has released a blog, “When Business Is Slow”, that highlights three ways that businesses can use downtime to boost their cybersecurity efforts.

In summary, Paulsen recommends:

1. Take Inventory - Two kinds of assets are critical: any equipment that has a computer chip inside, including things like cell phones, robot arms, and, of course, computers, and information. Taking inventory of these items may not be as complex as you might imagine. One of the easiest ways is simply to have a notebook or whiteboard where, for a week or so, you write down every piece of information and equipment you can think of that you use, as you think of it. When taking inventory of your information, include where that information is stored.
2. Get a Little Creative - Cybersecurity is a world of “what-ifs.” While looking through your inventory of information and equipment, ask yourself, “What if somebody wanted to steal it?” and “What if it was messed up, broken, or incorrect?” A cybersecurity plan should document what your business currently does to protect information and equipment, but you can also use it to document what your business could do.
3. Do Some Renovation - There are two things in cybersecurity that people tend to put off until it’s too late, but they can have the most immediate impact. First, make sure operating systems, software packages, and browsers are up-to-date to ensure security holes are fixed, and second, change all your passwords.