Last updated: 06 February 2015
Anyone who works in a corporate environment knows that the CEO is often considered one of the most valuable assets within an organization, with access to contacts, sensitive and confidential information and knowledge of the wider industry. Many high-flying executives who travel a lot have chauffeur-driven cars or are given charter flights to minimize the risk of accident. But how much attention is paid to the C-Suite’s everyday computing and communications habits?
Recent security breaches have alerted us all to the fact that no one is safe from hackers and viruses. The simple truth is that too many people relied on passwords to protect their mobile devices, laptops and documents, when lost or stolen passwords were at the core of the majority of breaches undertaken in 2013. A report from Verizon outlines the top nine new cyber-threats damaging corporate America which is worth a read.
So why should the C-Suite be any different? We believe there’s an urgent need to protect high-value executives, especially as fraud is constantly evolving. Not only are senior managers and high-level executives often those who travel the most, they’re also most likely to access confidential information via a mobile or tablet device when on the move, maybe also via a cloud computing facility, whether personal or professional.
Naturally, we don’t want to stop our valuable execs from accessing relevant information, neither do we want to make it so complex – think Fort Knox – that they’re put off from it. Digital security has to be convenient too after all. But we do need to ensure that security measures are in place and that they are both strong yet simple.
Multi-factor authentication seems like an obvious place to start, as it can strengthen identity and access security with something you have, something you know and something you are. Given how unique CEOs are, this should make digital security far more secure. For additional security measures, why not consider secure remote access, digital signatures or even email encryption?
Ultimately, there is no one size fits all. It depends on the nature of your business, the size of the business, how frequent your C-Suite is traveling and what levels of security you need. Security and password security in particular will be a key theme at this year’s Infosecurity Europe conference in London, and we recommend finding out more on how to protect your organization, your boss and yourself. We’ll be at Stand D31 – do come and see us or hear more on this particular topic from Stephane Vinsot on Thursday May 1st at 15.20 BST at the show itself. Convenience is the key to ensuring a digital lifestyle, but security can only be addressed through education and providing adequate training on the need for it.
