Secure Board Communication and Cybersecurity Best Practices

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Effective communication with the board is crucial to ensure directors make informed decisions and are actively involved. Boards have the task of finding a balance between the need to effectively communicate as well as the need to protect sensitive information and avoid cyberattacks.

Boards must utilize secure collaboration tools, such as board portals and real-time messaging platforms to ensure that discussions documents, meetings and other sensitive data private. This is a growing concern as more companies fall victim to breaches and hacks, and regulators set new security standards.

Security experts agree that it’s not about “if” or “when “when” an organization is likely to suffer a data security breach. A successful cybersecurity framework includes a strong relationship between the board and the chief info security officer (CISO). CISOs should take advantage of every opportunity to communicate their vision and strategy with the board. This will help to gain the board’s support for a more effective response to cyberattacks.

Many board members and professionals rely on personal emails to communicate with their internal governance team, particularly during virtual meetings. This puts organizations in greater risk of being targeted by phishing and other cyberattacks targeting prominent individuals, such as directors and C-level executives.

It is crucial to educate your board members on the importance of cybersecurity. This should include a thorough examination of the data they share through unsecure channels such as meeting notes or informal communication. It is also important to choose a secure document sharing platform that provides encryption and access controls to protect documents from being downloaded or copied by unauthorized parties, like those discovered in a cyberattack.