Associations and Cybersecurity Risk
By Joe Ruskey
President, Dependable Solutions
Yes, membership and trade associations are at risk. Here’s how you can protect your data and fulfill your fiduciary duty to safeguard your organization.
Just like other types of businesses, associations know a serious cybersecurity problem exists “out there”, but many organizations’ staff and leadership feel unequipped to do much about it. A recent survey from Foundry found that 90 percent of respondents believe that not enough is being done to prevent security breaches within their organizations.
Here are a few other relevant highlights from the report:
- User error is a common issue. Most I.T. leaders are aware of what caused security issues recently, with nonmalicious user error being the top offender cited by 34 percent of respondents. This was followed by third-party security vulnerabilities at 28 percent, unpatched software and misconfiguration of services very close at 27 and 26 percent respectively, and finally supply-chain attacks at 17 percent.
- Technology leaders are stretched thin. Between compliance, training, and other business risks, dealing with potential cyber threats has now been added to the plates of I.T. staff. This is where exploring tapping the expertise of a managed services provider can help unburden tech staff and mitigate risk.
- Outsourcing security helps to transfer the risk. Some associations are finding solutions in outsourcing security functions to limit risk, including instituting cloud solutions and investigating cyber insurance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly, at jruskey@dpndbl.com.