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RGANIZATIONS today have to navigate an IT security landscape that is drastically different from just a few years ago. Threats are growing in


frequency, sophistication, and risk. Employees are the target of phishing, spear phishing, and social engineering attacks designed to bypass even the strongest defenses.


Sophisticated Security for Sophisticated Threats To effectively combat these threats, you need a security


strategy that goes beyond the traditional approach to IT security. You can no longer rely solely on a hardened perimeter to protect your environment and provide users with secure access to data and applications. Today, the opportunity for threats to make their way inside that perimeter is much different—whether it’s end-users accidentally exposing data or outsiders targeting your critical information and systems. Security needs to live where your data, devices, and applications live—which, in today’s busy world, is everywhere. This new reality of anywhere, anytime risk requires a security strategy that is even more sophisticated than the threats you face.


The Three Pillars of IT Security An effective defense relies on the three pillars of IT security:


protection, detection, and reaction. This multi-faceted approach ensures you’re able to protect your information, assets, and users; detect incoming threats; and react to threats in a well-organized, structured, and sophisticated manner. It’s important to remember that a single pillar isn’t enough to secure your organization. Gone are the days of deploying a security solution—however effective it may be—and sitting back while it stops threats before they get inside your environment. If your organization ignores the detection and reaction stages of modern security, you’ve left yourself wide open to attack. Constant vigilance is the new standard.


Understanding Risk When you’re designing your security strategy, start with an assessment to make sure your efforts are right-sized for


your environment and your needs. This will help you identify the risks you’ll have to address. What threats are you trying to defend against? Is it an external attack or a user doing something inappropriate, either intentionally or accidentally? Building out a security lifecycle, or roadmap, is invaluable— and will help ensure you’re able to meet today’s needs and set guidelines to address future developments. A comprehensive security assessment is a great way to increase awareness and understanding around key elements of your strategy. Beyond satisfying compliance-related requirements, a security assessment can help you educate the risk owners on how to mitigate and manage threats over time.


Addressing Threats Once you understand what threats you face, where all your


data exists, and how employees access and use that data, you can develop a security program and policy that’s suited to your needs. A well-defined and documented security program includes physical security, access control, as well as business continuity and compliancy requirements. That’s where the detection and reaction elements come


into play. By identifying and documenting your policies and controls, you’ll be able to ensure your users have the access they need, your documents are properly protected, and your assets are managed, hardened, and controlled from an IT perspective. After you’ve got your policies in place, take a step back and consider overall lifecycle risk management and Managed Security Services. Managed Security Services allow you to focus on things you can do from a monitoring and management perspective to ensure you’ve got appropriate levels of protection in place, and that you’re adhering to your compliance requirements over time. These are critical steps in your strategy, so be sure to reach out to security experts if you need assistance.


TURN THE PAGE to gain insights on modern security


challenges and learn how PC Connection’s Security Practice can help you protect your organization against sophisticated threats.


Get a 360° View of Your Security Landscape


PC Connection’s Security Assessment is the first step to a secure environment. Our assessment will help you: • Discover weaknesses in your infrastructure • Gain a better understanding of your unique security landscape


• Get the insights you need to bring stakeholders together for informed discussions on risk, policies, and security strategy To learn more, contact an Account Manager.


1.800.800.0014


www.pcconnection.com


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