Cyber Resilience: 9 Steps for a Strong Security Posture
Small and large enterprises can struggle to identify the necessary security practices to safeguard their business and build cyber resilience. This can be due to a lack of knowledge of the recommended cybersecurity guidelines and best practices that apply to their enterprise risk profile. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of how these guidelines safeguard their sensitive data can be a contributing factor.
Why Cyber Resilience Matters and Where to Begin
If you are unclear where to start or which cybersecurity tasks to implement, a good starting point is to follow the security controls provided by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) framework. The latest guidelines are described in the CIS Critical Security Controls Version 8.1 and can be found here.
These controls are organized according to the risk profile of your organization, making them easier to follow and implement.
There are 18 controls in total, grouped into three “Implementation Groups”, based on the size of your organization and available IT resources:
- IG1
- IG2
- IG3
For example, IG1 is designed for small enterprises with limited cybersecurity capabilities, while IG3 targets large organizations with dedicated security teams specializing in areas like risk management, penetration testing, and application security.
Alongside these security controls, adopting a zero-trust model is essential for strengthening cyber resilience. Zero trust means never assuming trust by default – every user, device, and connection must be verified before access is granted.
Eight Security Controls to Strengthen Cyber Resilience
Building a strong security posture doesn’t happen overnight – it requires a structured approach and consistent effort. The good news is that you don’t need to implement every control at once. Start with the measures that deliver the greatest impact and are easiest to adopt based on your organization’s size and resources. These foundational steps will not only reduce your exposure to common threats but also create a solid base for more advanced security practices in the future. The following nine most critical security controls help you to get started.
1) Access Controls in Place
Determine who should have permission to access IT services and applications, and the level of permission to be granted. In security, a “privilege” refers to a right to perform a higher level of action on a system, such as to log into a system at an administrator level. On the other hand “permission” is more of a right to perform a task on an IT resource or access control that is given to a user or object. Therefore, it’s a good practice to check for overly permissive permissions settings on a regular basis.
2) Two-Factor Authentication
Microsoft offers the two-step verification method, which uses the option to send an email or text as a second way to authenticate when accessing Microsoft applications. Make sure you don’t sleep on your laurels, it’s an efficient way to safeguard access to your applications. In addition, check the apps that employees use such as HR, payroll, benefits, reimbursement apps all having the two-factor authentication method implemented for sign-in. Also consider offering a password manager to simplify credential management. If you do, make sure employees receive thorough training and that its use becomes a standard practice across the organization.
3) Train Employees in Security Awareness
Phishing attacks remain one of the most common tactics used by cybercriminals, making ongoing security awareness training essential. This is often the most challenging control to implement because it requires employees to develop new habits and consistently apply them. The goal is to foster a culture of vigilance, where staff remain alert and practice zero-trust principles in their daily activities.
4) Configure Security on the Network
Network segmentation is a good practice to enable isolation of IT resources by separating areas and resources logically into zones. A network router performs this isolation of data traffic to prevent unauthorized access to IT resources within the company’s IT network, allows efficient implementation of security policies for groups of applications or departments, and contains a security breach by blocking access to other areas.
For example, it separates traffic from employee workstations accessing the internal network and from visitors who bring their own device and want to connect to the network. These only do so via a specific segment of the network, such as through a guest Wi-Fi. This way, unauthorized users or guests can access the internet, but do not have access to connect to other devices on the network. On the other hand, employees working from the office are accessing applications that run on your on-premises datacenter and accessing the applications through the security level that the network segmentation provides.
Just as network segmentation is a good practice for accessing applications through the company’s internal network, using a VPN to secure access to the same applications from employees working remotely is a must. A VPN is needed for two main functions: To protect company data from being intercepted by hackers as it traverses the internet to and from the organization’s applications and to secure the connection from an employee’s workstation trying to connect remotely to their company’s internal network.
5) Malware Defenses
Small enterprises should implement an antivirus/ malware solution such as Microsoft Defender to detect and remove malware. Large enterprises with hundreds or thousands of end-points should consider an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) or an XDR (Extended Detection and Response) solution.
An EDR solution includes threat analysis to detect malware, detain and remove it before it infects other areas of the IT environment. The XDR solution offers a unified response to cover additional layers of the IT infrastructure, including networks and cloud environments, with deep activity collection for hunting and investigation.
6) Secure Sensitive Data by Encrypting
Implement encryption across all layers of your IT infrastructure to protect data both at rest and in transit. This includes encrypting enterprise storage systems, drives, and employee devices. For data in transit, ensure secure communication by using the HTTPS protocol when accessing websites. Additionally, obtain a TLS certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) to verify your website’s identity and establish an encrypted connection for users.
7) Ongoing vulnerability assessment, detection and patching
Think of vulnerability management as securing your home – checking that gates are closed, doors and windows are locked, and valuable areas are protected. The same principle applies to your IT environment: Identify and address weaknesses before attackers can exploit them. This involves regularly scanning for vulnerabilities specific to your infrastructure and applying security patches promptly.
To stay informed, follow trusted sources that publish known vulnerabilities, such as:
8) Perform Posture Management
Organizations using cloud applications or any cloud infrastructure model – whether IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS – should implement cloud security posture management. This involves continuously identifying and remediating misconfigurations and compliance gaps within public cloud environments to reduce risk and maintain a strong security posture.
9) Take Backups on a Consistent Basis
If a cybersecurity incident compromises your systems or data, quick recovery is critical to maintaining business continuity. One of the most important tasks for IT teams is to perform regular backups of critical data. This ensures that, once the incident is contained, your organization can restore essential information and continue serving customers.
Equally important is testing those backups. Verify that they are up-to-date and conduct regular restore tests to confirm that applications, databases, and other systems can be recovered successfully.
From Manual Effort to Automation: Why Advanced Tools Matter for Cyber Resilience
After implementing foundational security controls for a better cyber resilience, many organizations face a new challenge: Maintaining these practices efficiently over time. Vulnerability and patch management, in particular, can quickly become overwhelming when handled manually. IT teams often spend countless hours identifying risks, prioritizing fixes, and applying patches across complex, hybrid environments.
This is where automation and intelligent tools make a real difference. By streamlining these processes, organizations can reduce human error, accelerate remediation, and free up resources for strategic security initiatives. At SVA Software, we partner with leading solutions to help businesses achieve this level of efficiency and resilience.
Mondoo: Intelligent Vulnerability Detection
Mondoo continuously scans your IT assets – whether on-premises or in the cloud – for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It prioritizes the issues that pose the highest risk and provides actionable remediation guidance. Easy to deploy and fast to deliver results, Mondoo is ideal for organizations of any size for cyber resilience, especially those managing hybrid or heterogeneous environments.
Learn more about Mondoo: Link
Orcharhino: Automated Patch Management
Once vulnerabilities are identified, orcharhino automates timely patching across multiple Linux distributions, including Red Hat-based systems, Ubuntu, and Debian. Unlike traditional tools, orcharhino works at the advisory (Errata) level, enabling users to track CVE resolutions, bug fixes, and feature updates. This approach closes security gaps efficiently and reduces manual workload for IT teams.
Learn more about orcharhino: Link
By integrating Mondoo’s vulnerability detection with orcharhino’s automated patching, organizations can transform a tedious, manual process into a streamlined, proactive security workflow. This combination helps maintain compliance, reduce risk, and strengthen overall cyber resilience without sacrificing productivity.
