Information and network security provide needed defenses against cyberattacks and other malicious activities for businesses operating in the digital space. 

Reliance on digital assets requires constant surveillance and maintenance of systems and hardware. IT directors and small business owners who depend on critical infrastructure should take action to protect their important systems from cyberattacks.

When critical infrastructure is essential for continued operations, decision-makers rely on cybersecurity for solutions. IT directors and small businesses need to understand the importance of cybersecurity for their organizations.

Why Is Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Important?

As important business and IT operations have become more centered around digital ecosystems and cloud-based architecture, cybersecurity has become an important way to keep internal users and their data safe. For modern businesses, cybersecurity is essential for delivering services and generating growth.

There are many benefits to cybersecurity infrastructure. When delivering online services to users, network hardware and equipment, user devices, and important software need to be secured against attacks. 

IT directors and small businesses should consider the best solutions for their organizations when deploying cybersecurity for their critical infrastructure. Proper cybersecurity tools and software provide innovative ways for IT directors and small businesses to protect their network architecture. 

Good cybersecurity practices ensure that vital processes and data can be protected against malicious attacks, allowing users to detect and respond to potential issues before they can cause problems. Cybersecurity protects important information, reduces resource waste, and provides tools to ensure compliance. 

It Protects Data

Critical infrastructure cybersecurity helps to safeguard important information by providing tools for protecting valuable IT assets. Proper critical infrastructure cybersecurity gives IT directors and small businesses the needed tools, hardware, and software to ensure vital data is backed up. 

Modern critical infrastructure cybersecurity protects organizations from cyberattacks. With core cybersecurity practices in place, critical infrastructure is more resilient against potential threats such as ransomware, spyware, and malicious criminals. This protection means that systems are more reliable and less prone to failure.

It Saves Money

IT directors and small businesses that deploy critical infrastructure cybersecurity benefit from flexible systems that are less resource-intensive, reducing operational costs. Critical infrastructure cybersecurity offers greater efficiency and more sustainable, energy-efficient ways of doing business. 

By prioritizing critical cybersecurity infrastructure, organizations will have an edge against the competition.

It Reduces Risk

Not only is critical infrastructure cybersecurity safer and more cost-effective, but it also reduces the risk for organizations. Businesses are liable if private user data is lost or stolen and can be held accountable if they don’t take the necessary precautions to secure and protect it.

Good critical cybersecurity infrastructure practices prevent unwanted disclosure of user information, while poor infrastructure can lead to financial costs and disruptions in operations. 

For many IT directors and small businesses, implementing risk-reducing security practices offers safeguards against unwanted legal trouble or reputational damage.

How to Improve Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity: 5 Steps

Modern IT directors and small businesses have many tools and services available to ensure their critical systems aren’t compromised. Take these steps to improve your cybersecurity.

1. Make the Proper Investments

IT directors and small businesses that need better infrastructure shouldn’t wait to make the proper investments until it’s too late. Neglecting cybersecurity infrastructure puts not only your own systems at risk but your users as well.

It’s much more expensive to lose customers or have your reputation ruined because of a breach. Proper investment in IT infrastructure will add value over time. Reduce risk by protecting infrastructure against cyber threats.

Integrations with vital infrastructure create consumer confidence and boost productivity. You don’t need the most cutting-edge technology. Just make sure to invest in solid architecture that you can rely on over time. If necessary, outsourcing cybersecurity practices can save money.

2. Limit Network Traffic with a Firewall

Traffic can be difficult to track. The more users a network has, the more difficult it is to keep safe, opening it to potential attacks. Dedicated IT systems help protect critical infrastructure with network monitoring and protection tools. 

Organizations should deploy enterprise firewall software to reinforce the integrity of their network infrastructure. Firewalls can be used to create visibility for IT directors and cybersecurity professionals. Limited access points or nodes with firewalls provide controlled access to incoming and outgoing connections. 

Firewalls allow IT directors and small businesses to prevent unwanted intrusions with continuous network monitoring. 

They can be integrated with network routers, specialized hardware, client-side software, and cloud-based deployments to permit or block access to critical IT infrastructure, allowing administrators to create a secure network perimeter.

3. Make Sure to Use Updated Software and Equipment

It’s important to keep up with the most recent trends in cybersecurity. Outdated software is a liability for IT directors and small businesses. It can cause disruptions to operations and leaves users vulnerable to attack.

Keep software up-to-date to prevent cyberattacks and fix existing exploits to harden against future problems. Patches, service packs, bug fixes, and other important updates provide protection from vulnerabilities and malicious threats. Updated software has better integration with existing systems, leading to a better user experience. 

Whitelisting and blacklisting protect user devices while still allowing users to leverage important software. Outdated and legacy software and devices will create more vulnerabilities than they prevent. Router firmware and other critical pieces of infrastructure should be kept updated to prevent attackers from getting into the network.

4. Create Geo-Redundant Systems

The potential destruction of important information and assets is a huge cybersecurity risk. Natural disasters such as floods, fires, and severe storms can cause damage to important infrastructure, leaving businesses unable to provide services to clients. 

For IT directors and small businesses that need to keep their data safe, critical infrastructure cybersecurity systems provide redundant data backup and storage solutions. 

Management tools give flexible recovery options such as timed daily, weekly, and monthly backups, flexible choices in the data storage location, and quality support and assistance for enterprise users.

Systems that aren’t properly secured against geographical events can be compromised, allowing vital data to be lost, stolen, or destroyed. By deploying critical infrastructure cybersecurity, organizations are better equipped to prevent data loss and recover quickly when problems arise.

5. Perform Ongoing Analysis and Reporting

Proactive critical infrastructure cybersecurity requires ongoing monitoring and attention to reduce risks and improve performance. The use of digital systems and tools means ongoing changes and developments that can potentially break important assets and leave IT directors and small businesses unable to operate effectively. 

Critical infrastructure cybersecurity provides integrations so that users can run reports and conduct auditing, allowing them to develop and deploy better solutions across their organizations. 

By tracking and evaluating access to important internal systems and user data, decision-makers are better equipped to assess and address long-term threats and vulnerabilities.

Transparent threat-assessment protocols provide users with powerful solutions for improving their critical infrastructure cybersecurity. 

Ongoing analysis and reporting of internal processes help IT directors and small businesses understand emerging cybersecurity threats so that they can quickly adapt to changes in their operational environments.

Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity with Iron Range Cyber

Is your critical infrastructure cybersecurity deployment overpriced? Iron Range Cyber (IRC) is a managed security provider dedicated to building better cybersecurity and security monitoring solutions. We work with small and mid-sized businesses in regulated markets such as banking and healthcare to reduce risk and reinforce compliance. 

At IRC, we understand that critical infrastructure cybersecurity strategies provide key risk-reduction strategies for your business. We work to create transparent IT processes that give IT directors and small businesses better management capabilities across a wider range of platforms.

Speak with our team today about monitoring your critical infrastructure!