As companies rely more and more on technology, they are increasingly vulnerable to new and sophisticated cyber threats: phishing scams, malicious software (malware), password theft, and more. Every day, new headlines sound the alarm, warning of business operations stalled by attacks, major financial losses, and other potential consequences.

The costs of such breaches can be astronomical – and their growing scale and frequency proves that organizations can no longer afford to operate with only prevention in mind. Instead, companies must focus on strengthening their security culture to better identify vulnerabilities, respond to attacks, safeguard critical assets, and maintain core functions amid disruption.

Assuming this posture means recognizing that cybersecurity isn’t simply an IT issue; it involves everyone from the C-suite to new hires to independent contractors. Following are key steps organizations can take to build a more resilient cybersecurity program – and avoid becoming a cautionary headline.

1. Train the entire workforce on cyber safety

Cyber incidents are extremely asymmetrical. To fend off threats, every employee must get it right 100% of the time, whereas to breach a system, bad actors only need to get it right once. The truth is, of course, that no one will always get it right. Someone will click on a suspicious link or mishandle sensitive information, or will check their work email on an unsecured network, making themselves an easy target for hackers. This is why everyone in the company should consider themselves the first line of defense.

One strategy for creating strong security knowledge is to gamify training, awarding points or prizes to whoever answers questions about security policies quickly and accurately: What makes a strong password? What are best practices for protecting sensitive data? A comprehensive training program also communicates the consequences of non-compliance. Such training might be incorporated into onboarding or triggered by fake phishing emails. (The latter not only help employees learn to recognize a phishing attempt but can also provide data on responses that can be helpful in assessing the company’s preparedness against phishing attacks.)

Social media management – knowing what to post and not to post – is an often-overlooked aspect of modern security education. For example, trending questions such as “In what car did you learn to drive stick shift?” can be a means to give cybercriminals the answers to common security questions – e.g., the make and model of your first car.

Cybersecurity training should be interactive, ongoing, and tailored to the company. For example, organizations that deal with PHI (protected health information) are subject to specific cybersecurity requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and employees need to be trained accordingly.

2. Establish an incident response plan – and involve executives

As previously said, in today’s environment, cyberattacks are matter of not if, but when. Therefore, it’s critical to have a thorough, well-rehearsed plan in place for how to respond when it happens.

In the face of an attack, disaster recovery and business continuity depend on having a clear and coordinated incident response (IR) plan. The IR plan should detail activities related to:

1. Preparation: Assessing systems and applications for risks, and training and equipping employees to respond to incidents
2. Detection: Analyzing and documenting attacks and taking appropriate actions
3. Containment, eradication, and recovery: Responding to attacks before they cause major damage, and restoring systems and operations
4. Post-incident activity: Reviewing the incident and response and identifying improvements

IR plans should be communicated across the whole organization. For public companies, the IR plan must comply with the SEC’s incident reporting guidelines.

It’s crucial to engage board members and executives when creating an IR plan and practicing its implementation. Like fire drills, regular IR plan tests help business leaders act quickly and reflexively in the face of an actual incident. Tabletop exercises are one tool that can help significantly reduce detection and recovery time, by simulating cyberattacks and allowing the leadership team to practice in-the-moment decision-making.

3. Incorporate AI tools to help with cybersecurity analysis

If an organization is subjected to tens of thousands of cyberattacks every day, and has a dedicated staff to monitor the alarm bells, how does that staff avoid alert fatigue? After all, many of those alarms are false alarms.

This is where artificial intelligence becomes a critical asset to a company’s cybersecurity program. As cyber threats continue to grow harder to detect, AI tools can help monitor systems and accounts, identify anomalies, and anticipate a breach or attack. AI can help determine which alarm bells are of actual concern and, in some cases, provide an automated response, whether blocking malicious traffic or isolating compromised systems.

As cybersecurity demands exceed human capacity, AI-skilled workers are needed to improve efficiency. Human oversight helps ensure that AI systems are accurately interpreting data and responding appropriately.

4. Adopt a zero-trust mindset

Organizations used to use a “trust but verify” method to protect against threats. This allowed automatic access to networks – and in fact led to a variety of security threats.

Today, a “zero-trust” approach has become the best default, and an important aspect of a modern cybersecurity approach. Zero trust assumes that every access point to network, systems, or data could be compromised, so no inherent trust is given. Thus, employees must continually verify their identity through multifactor authentication. They are also granted the least amount of access needed to perform their jobs. Establishing a zero-trust mindset gives organizations a better chance of staying ahead of increasingly sophisticated attacks.

In conclusion

Every organization will experience a cyberattack at some point; it’s one of the top risks of doing business in our tech-driven world. But thinking of cyber incidents as inevitable, instead of just probable, doesn’t have to be scary – instead, it should motivate action. If companies are aware that some type of breach will occur, they can be proactive with training: helping employees understand that protecting the company’s data and assets is a team effort, developing and testing incident response plans, smartly integrating AI, and embracing a zero-trust mindset. Building this type of resiliency means investing specifically in cybersecurity, not just IT operations. But the benefits far outweigh the costs.