What it really means to secure the cyber supply chain

Softcat launch strategy guide to help businesses prioritise actions, develop a plan, and secure the supply chain

The new guide from IT solutions and services provider, Softcat, explores what it means to lock down suppliers, customers and everyone in between in order to improve cyber security. This is part of a wider approach, which is outlined in the guide by several in-house industry experts.

One of these cyber security experts, GRC Consultant, Sean Huggett, explains that while data sharing today is exciting, highly convenient and entirely necessary, the supply chain has become a vulnerable area within organisations for computer attacks.

Huggett advises that: “Businesses should regularly ask themselves questions like: ‘Where’s my risk?’ and ‘Am I going to invalidate my insurance by missing something?’” These issues then filter through a business, with more people consequently seeing cyber defence as a priority.

However, his key piece of advice is to conduct a cyber security audit: “Understand who has access to your data no matter how big or small, no matter how regular or sporadic, and then prioritise them accordingly”.

In the guide, Huggett also outlines his opinions on finding a business’s weak link via cyber threat analysis, and why it’s critical to add a minimum baseline in contract agreements to improve information and computer security, and reduce common cyber attacks.

This advice forms part of Softcat’s comprehensive approach to cyber security management, which covers the following key areas:

• Prioritising cyber security actions – it’s almost impossible to achieve everything all at once, so it’s good to define and focus on what’s most important to a business
• Developing a tangible plan – after understanding where efforts should be focused, a business needs a structure to be able to make progress
• Securing the supply chain – conducting cyber monitoring to understand who every customer and supplier in the chain is, and working with them to tighten up data sharing

To read the full strategy guide, visit: https://www.softcat.com/campaigns/cyber-security-services/

About Softcat

Softcat is one of the UK’s leading providers of technology solutions and services and an FTSE 250 listed company. They are passionate about outstanding employee satisfaction and world-class customer service – both of which inspire their flexible, friendly approach to business.

Softcat provides organisations with workplace, datacentre, networking and security solutions combined with all the services required to design, deliver and support these on premise or in the cloud.