Cybersecurity Readiness

Book excerpt: Cybersecurity has traditionally been the purview of information technology professionals, who possess specialized knowledge and speak a language that few outside of their department can understand. In our current corporate landscape, however, cybersecurity awareness must be an organization-wide management competency in order to mitigate major threats to an organization’s well-being—and be prepared to act if the worst happens. With rapidly expanding attacks and evolving methods of attack, organizations are in a perpetual state of breach and have to deal with this existential threat head-on. Cybersecurity preparedness is a critical and distinctive competency, and this book is intended to help students and practitioners develop and enhance this capability, as individuals continue to be both the strongest and weakest links in a cyber defense system. In addition to providing the non-specialist with a jargon-free overview of cybersecurity threats, Dr. Chatterjee focuses most of the book on developing a practical and easy-to-comprehend management framework and success factors that will help leaders assess cybersecurity risks, address organizational weaknesses, and build a collaborative culture that is informed and responsive. Through brief case studies, literature review, and practical tools, he creates a manual for the student and professional alike to put into practice essential skills for any workplace.