Enterprise cybersecurity: What it is and how to manage it

Enterprise cybersecurity is an area your business should prioritize to protect against cyberattacks and data exposure. But before you create a cybersecurity plan, you need to understand what threats you’re protecting against. In this article, we’ll explain what enterprise cybersecurity is, review the specific cyber threats that target businesses, and explore how to safeguard your company.

What is enterprise cybersecurity?

Enterprise cybersecurity is the application of strategies and security measures for managing the risks an organization faces on the digital front. It also involves the use of specific technologies to protect an organization’s IT infrastructure and data.

An effective enterprise cybersecurity strategy shields local networks, cloud assets, and remote devices, keeping them resilient from cyberattacks. It ensures safe access to company infrastructure for all employees, including remote workers, by applying specific measures, such as firewalls, encryption, security protocols, and intrusion detection systems (IDS).

With the right security measures in place, the IT team gets alerted about suspicious activity that might indicate a cyberattack or data breach, so it can take action to investigate the threat and secure the system. For example, a company might use an IDS to detect and alert security teams about any unusual network traffic that could indicate an attempted cyberattack. But enterprise cybersecurity involves more than just passive protection — it’s about proactive strategies and a quick response.

What is the difference between enterprise cybersecurity and general cybersecurity?

Enterprise cybersecurity focuses specifically on protecting the IT infrastructure, data, and networks of businesses or large organizations, while cybersecurity in general applies to all types of digital security measures, including those for individuals and smaller entities.

Why is enterprise cybersecurity important?

Enterprise cybersecurity is crucial for any company that wants to succeed. Without adequate safeguards, a company risks disrupting its operations, damaging its reputation, and losing its competitive edge. Enterprise cybersecurity practices ensure business continuity by proactively protecting from cyber threats and data leaks, as well as building customer trust.

Protection from cyber threats

Enterprise cybersecurity plans and programs address different impacts of cyberattacks and are crucial for several reasons, including:

1. Network and cloud security. Firewalls and intrusion detection systems protect your network infrastructure and cloud services from unauthorized access and potential breaches. For example, zero trust architecture treats every user and device as untrusted until proven otherwise, meaning each access request is constantly verified to ensure it’s secure.
2. Data protection. Encryption and secure access controls ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information, both in transit and at rest. For example, end-to-end encryption in communication between employees and clients secures the sensitive data while it’s being transmitted over the internet.
3. Endpoint security. Security solutions on all employee devices accessing the company’s network prevent malware infections and unauthorized data access, which is especially relevant with the rise of remote work. An example of endpoint security is the deployment of mobile device management software, which allows IT teams to monitor, secure, and manage employee devices. If an employee loses their work laptop (or if it gets stolen), the IT team can wipe its data remotely to protect proprietary information from unauthorized access.
4. Security awareness training. It’s important to educate employees on how to recognize phishing and practice safe online behaviors. For instance, implementing simulated phishing campaigns to test employees’ ability to identify fraudulent emails helps raise awareness and reinforces safe online practices, effectively reducing the chances of successful account takeover attacks and identity theft.

Protection from data leaks

A data leak can expose sensitive information and damage your company’s reputation, so effective cybersecurity measures are a must.

Data leaks might happen for different reasons, like simple human mistakes, weak security measures, or intentional attacks. For example, a misconfigured database might grant public access to sensitive data, or an employee might mistakenly send confidential files to the wrong recipient. To avoid such incidents, your company should implement enterprise cybersecurity strategies, including:

1. Data loss prevention (DLP) policies set clear guidelines on data handling, access controls, and sharing protocols. These policies define who can access specific data and under what circumstances to minimise the risk of accidental exposure.
2. Awareness training. Human error is the leading cause of data leaks. Regular training sessions can help employees recognize phishing attempts, understand the importance of data confidentiality, and empower them to follow secure data handling practices.
3. Data-centric security measures include the application of technologies that protect data itself, regardless of where it resides. This approach ensures that even if data is accessed without authorization, it remains unreadable and secure.
4. Data breach monitoring and auditing data access can help detect unusual activity, such as unauthorized access attempts, and make it easier to take quick action.
5. Secure third-party interactions ensure that vendors and partners follow strict data protection rules. Since data leaks often happen through third-party connections, it's important to regularly check and monitor their security practices.

Increased customer trust

When a business proactively protects sensitive data and systems, customers feel more confident and are more likely to view the brand in a positive light, which typically translates to brand loyalty.

What is a data breach in the eyes of your customers if not a betrayal of their trust? Studies show that effective security measures significantly influence customer trust and behavior. Providing high-quality customer experiences and ensuring data protection can lead customers to trust the brand 4% to 10% above average. In contrast, poor security can lead to a decline in trust, with customer trust dropping by 20% to 53% below average.

T-Mobile’s investment in cybersecurity is a good example of the importance of protecting customer data. Following previous data breaches, the company has been strengthening its security measures, including adopting a zero trust security model and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA). These efforts aim to rebuild customer trust and set a standard for industry security practices.

While implementing cybersecurity practices in your company and building customer trust can be a long and challenging journey, knowing the specific threats you’re up against helps you focus your efforts on the most critical areas and makes the process much more manageable.

Most common cybersecurity challenges for enterprises

The challenges that can threaten the security and integrity of your business operations come in all forms and sizes. Some of the most common cybersecurity challenges include:

Malware

Malware is malicious software designed to damage or gain unauthorized access to systems. It ranges from viruses to spyware, and it often enters the system through infected email attachments or vulnerable software. For example, the very common infostealer malware can infect your device via a phishing email and steal your sensitive information, including login credentials that the attacker might later use in an account takeover attack.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks or encrypts a company’s data and demands payment to restore access. It’s easy to get your device infected with ransomware if you’re not careful because attackers often deliver this threat via phishing emails or insecure websites.

APTs

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are prolonged and targeted cyberattacks that skilled hackers carry out, often backed by nation-states or organized crime. APTs are hard to detect and can secretly continue stealing information for months before anyone notices.

Phishing

Phishing involves tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information, like passwords or credit card details, by pretending to be a trusted entity or individual. For example, an employee might receive an email that looks like it's from their boss, asking for sensitive company information, only to find out it was a scam. It’s one of the most common and effective ways for cybercriminals to gain access to company networks.

Insider threats

Insider threats come from current or former employees, contractors, or business partners who misuse their access to company systems. These threats can be intentional, like stealing company data for personal gain, or unintentional, for instance, accidentally sharing sensitive information with the wrong person.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks

DDoS attacks flood a network with traffic, overwhelming systems and making services unavailable. These attacks often target companies with high online traffic to disrupt their business operations for hours or days.

Third-party risks

Third-party risks involve the potential dangers posed by vendors, contractors, and partners who have access to your company’s network. For example, if a vendor with access to sensitive customer data doesn’t follow proper security protocols, it could lead to data breaches. So if your company’s partners or contractors have access to your company’s network or data, you should make sure they follow strict security protocols.

Cloud security risks

Cloud security risks involve vulnerabilities in cloud services that could lead to data breaches, for example, misconfigured cloud storage settings that leave data accessible publicly, or account hijacking, where attackers gain control of cloud accounts using stolen credentials. It’s a challenge to secure a company’s cloud settings and tightly control access to it, but it’s worth it.

The internet of things (IoT)

The IoT connects everyday devices to the internet, which can open new entry points for cybercriminals. Poorly secured IoT devices can lead to unauthorized access to networks and put sensitive data and systems at risk.

Lack of cybersecurity professionals

The shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals remains a major challenge for enterprises. With the growing complexity of cyber threats, businesses struggle to find and retain qualified experts to protect their systems and data.

Fundamentals of enterprise cybersecurity architecture

The foundation of strong enterprise cybersecurity architecture relies on a few core principles that help businesses maintain a secure and resilient network environment.

• Continuous monitoring. Ongoing monitoring of systems, networks, and data helps detect potential threats in real time. By constantly assessing for unusual activity, businesses can respond swiftly to security breaches and prevent further damage.
• Limited access. Restricting access to sensitive data and systems ensures that only authorized personnel can interact with critical information. This principle helps secure data by minimising the risk of unauthorized access and data leaks.
• Zero trust policy. A zero trust approach assumes that no user or device, inside or outside the organization, is automatically trusted. This means continuous verification and validation of all users, devices, and applications before giving them access.

Key strategies for effective enterprise cybersecurity

Effective enterprise cybersecurity relies on an effective strategy. We’ve compiled some essential practices for you to include into your security strategy. If followed consistently, they can significantly strengthen your organization’s defense against cyber threats:

MFA for all users

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple means, like a password and a one-time code.

IDS/IPS for threat detection

Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) monitor network traffic to identify suspicious activity and actively block potential threats before they cause harm.

Data encryption

Data encryption ensures that sensitive information is unreadable to unauthorized users, even if intercepted, by transforming it into a coded format.

Regular security awareness training

Regular security awareness training educates employees about cybersecurity risks, such as phishing attacks, and ensures they handle data in a safe way.

Role-based access for employees

Role-based access ensures that employees only have access to the data and systems necessary for their role, which minimises the risk of unauthorized exposure. This measure also includes extra authentication steps for admins who have higher access privileges.

Security assessment and penetration testing

Security assessments and penetration testing involve simulating attacks on the system to find vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them. To fully protect your company’s IT infrastructure, companies should consider both internal and external vulnerability scanning because each type can uncover different risks.

Regular software updates

Regular software updates apply the latest security patches to all systems. This reduces the risk of attackers exploiting outdated software.

Effective crisis management

Crisis management involves having a clear, actionable plan for responding to security incidents, ensuring quick recovery and minimizing damage in the event of a breach.

Data backup and post-incident reviews

Regular data backups ensure business continuity if data is lost or encrypted by cybercriminals, while post-incident reviews help identify weaknesses and improve future defenses.

Cybersecurity checklist for enterprises

If you’re unsure if your company’s cybersecurity plan covers all potential risks, go over this checklist and update your plan accordingly.

Top solutions for enterprise cybersecurity

To have your enterprise security as resilient to threats as possible, make sure your company is implementing relevant security measures, including network security solutions, cloud security and data protection solutions, SIEM systems, and threat exposure management platforms.

Network security solutions protect your organization’s computer networks from unauthorized access, attacks, and data breaches. These solutions include:

• End-to-end encryption of all critical data.
• Endpoint protection via VPNs.
• Single sign-on and MFA systems to exclude unauthorized users.
• Antivirus and antimalware tools and firewalls.
• Password management tools.
• Employee training to detect phishing.

Cloud security and data protection solutions help to safeguard cloud assets and data in cloud environments. These solutions include:

• Role-based access to company resources.
• Cloud VPN systems for anonymizing users and encrypting data in transit.
• Cloud-native firewalls for regulating access and blocking threats.
• Use of CSP’s (cloud service provider’s) encryption.
• SD-WAN architecture for all network assets.

Security information and event management (SIEM) systems proactively collect, analyze, and monitor security events and logs from various systems, applications, and devices across your organization’s network. SIEM solutions include:

• IDP/IPS systems for active threat detection.
• The use of threat intelligence to detect vulnerabilities.
• The use of machine learning to achieve granular threat detection.
• Forensic dashboards for complete security visibility.
• In-depth reporting for security development and compliance audits.

Threat exposure management platforms help your company’s IT infrastructure fight against cyber threats by performing the following functions:

• Dark web monitoring for enterprise-related keywords.
• Data breach monitoring to minimize the threat of ransomware and identify signs of malware.
• Monitoring the external attack surface for vulnerabilities.

These four solutions are widely recognized as foundational to a strong enterprise cybersecurity strategy, and they’ll remain important in the near future.

The future of enterprise cybersecurity

The future of enterprise cybersecurity is predicted to shift towards more integrated and proactive solutions. Businesses are already moving away from traditional, siloed security measures towards unified platforms that combine threat detection, response, and prevention.

Tools like SIEM systems and threat exposure management platforms are evolving to offer real-time analytics. This way, they can provide businesses with a clearer and quicker view of potential vulnerabilities.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also playing a role in automating threat detection, making it faster and more accurate. These technologies can analyze vast amounts of data fast and identify patterns that would be hard for humans to spot.

Business mindsets are also evolving. Companies are moving beyond compliance-driven approaches to cybersecurity and are becoming more proactive. Security is increasingly seen as a strategic asset, not just a necessity. More leaders now recognize that a breach can have severe financial and reputational consequences. As part of this shift, businesses are embracing zero trust architecture, which assumes no device or user is trustworthy by default and require continuous verification.

At NordStellar, we’re helping businesses to adopt a proactive approach towards threat exposure management. Our platform enables you to detect and respond to cyber threats targeting your company, before they escalate.

How can NordStellar improve your enterprise cybersecurity?

Enterprises are often unaware of data leaks and external vulnerabilities until it’s too late. With the NordStellar threat exposure management platform, your organization can detect leaks and threats before they escalate. How?

• Dark web monitoring tracks keywords related to your business across the dark web to identify brand mentions, vendor issues, and leaks about VIP personnel.
• Data breach monitoring scans the dark web for sensitive data leaks, checking infostealer malware logs and stolen credentials to provide real-time monitoring of past and present breaches.
• Attack surface management identifies vulnerabilities and security gaps in internet-facing assets like IP addresses and open ports.
• Cybersquatting detection uses AI-driven algorithms to identify domain manipulations and alert you in real time in order to prevent impersonation of your brand.

By notifying your IT team about compromised credentials and potential vulnerabilities, NordStellar helps it cut down on data leak detection times, save resources with automated monitoring, and minimize risks to your organization and customers.