The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) launched new online tools and programs to help small and medium-sized businesses navigate the complexities of cybersecurity and make their organizations less vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The New York-based nonprofit works with some of the world’s leading cybersecurity and supply chain experts, global enterprises, and thousands of small and medium-sized businesses to help companies of any size build stronger cultures of cyber awareness and compliance. Technical advice and support from Apple, ExxonMobil, General Motors, Mastercard, Microsoft, Center for Global Enterprise, and Principal Financial Group—to name a few, have helped shape CRI’s new program and revised components.
“Nearly half of all SMBs experienced some form of cyberattack in 2022, but very few have strong password policies or train their employees on cybersecurity preparedness,” said Karen Evans, managing director of CRI, in a statement. “Our updated Cyber Readiness Program makes cybersecurity best practices easier to understand and implement. The goal is to create a practical culture of cyber readiness in every organization by encouraging people to make small but meaningful changes in their online behavior.”
Related: Security Awareness Training Needs to Change. Here’s Why.
CRI’s Cyber Readiness Program Offers Best Practices, Policies, and a Focus on Business Continuity
CRI’s updated Cyber Readiness Program and companion Playbook are designed to inform and train an organization’s cyber leader on best practices including how to implement effective cyber policies, prioritize what assets are most important to protect, and develop business continuity plans that help businesses respond and recover should they be breached.
The Program provides short training videos and materials that cyber leaders can share with their colleagues to build awareness and gain commitment to best practices. Its seven modules are built around the CRI’s “Core Four Policies”:
- passwords+ (multi-factor authentication);
- software updates;
- phishing; and
- secure sharing and storage.
Additional components of the program include a comprehensive playbook offering counsel on everything from drafting cyber policies to prioritizing what to protect, and new metrics to help organizations best track their progress.
“As the owner and operator of a small primary care practice, I appreciate the thoughtfulness and insight that continues to inform the Cyber Readiness Program,” said Dr. Anjula Agrawal, chief executive officer of Washington, DC-based A Squared Primary Care, in a statement. “Our expertise is in helping people lead healthier lives, not information technology, so access to trusted, prescriptive approaches to cybersecurity makes a huge difference for our business and our employees.”
CRI’s Cyber Readiness Program is available for free here.
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