The Importance of Digital Security
In a world that relies on digital technology for almost everything, from banking transactions and bill payments to social planning and work remotely, cyber-attacks are a serious threat. Whether a hacker is trying to steal your customer data, or your organization’s reputation, cyber attacks can cost you big.
That’s why digital security matters so much. It’s an umbrella term that refers to all the resources used to protect your online data, identity, and digital assets. This includes everything from antivirus software to two factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of protection by requiring something you know (a password or PIN) and something you have (a card, dongle, or cellphone).
The importance of digital security has led to the creation of cybersecurity careers. It’s no wonder that cybersecurity is a fast-growing industry, with Gartner predicting that global spending on digital security solutions will surpass $260 billion by 2026.
Despite its importance, many people don’t fully understand what digital security is, and what it does to protect us from hackers and other cyber threats. In this article, we’ll define digital security and give you an overview of the key components of the field.
A firewall is a common piece of digital security hardware, which monitors web traffic and blocks unauthorized access using filtering rules that align with your organization’s IT policies. Another tool is a vulnerability scanner, which scans the network for potential weak points and prioritizes them to help you devise countermeasures. And, of course, you need to ensure the availability of your digital systems by ensuring that hardware is maintained and updated regularly, and that backups are stored in multiple locations.