Cisco launches Zero Trust assessment tool to help SMBs with cybersecurity – Back End News

To help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the Philippines understand the importance of cybersecurity readiness, Cisco launched an online assessment tool under the premise of the Zero Trust strategy.

With hybrid work seen as the now normal for workers, devices can now be used both for corporate and personal activities, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks than ever.

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The tool assesses the organization’s level of maturity in six areas of Zero Trust:

1. User and Identity
2. Device
3. Networks
4. Workload (applications)
5. Data
6. Security Operations.

Once the organization enters details of its security capabilities and policies, the tool assesses the overall security posture of the organization based on industry and sector benchmarks.

“Greater adoption of technology also means greater exposure to cybersecurity vulnerabilities today due to an expanded attack surface,” said Zaza Nicart, managing director, Cisco Philippines. “As Filipino SMBs accelerate their digitalization journeys to deliver next-generation applications and innovations in a hybrid work new normal, ensuring that their organization is protected on all fronts will continue to be top-of-mind.”

The Zero Trust assessment tool generates a customized report for each organization that indicates their level of maturity, challenges, and opportunities in each of the six areas of Zero Trust. Where applicable, it offers tailored recommendations on the technologies and solutions that can help strengthen the organization’s overall security posture and preparedness in a hybrid work environment.

Cybersecurity risks

SMBs in the Philippines are becoming increasingly educated about current cybersecurity risks and are investing more to better prepare for cyber incidents. According to Cisco’s Cybersecurity for SMBs: Asia Pacific Businesses Prepare for Digital Defense study, 82% of SMBs in the Philippines said they are more concerned about cybersecurity today than they were 12 months ago, the highest compared to other countries surveyed in ASEAN.

The study also revealed that more than half (57%) SMBs across the Philippines suffered a cyber incident in the last 12 months. Over a quarter (28%) said that these cyber incidents cost their business more than $500,000. The No. 1 reason highlighted as the cause of these incidents was cybersecurity solutions not being adequate to detect or prevent the attack. These attacks have tangible impact on SMBs, from disruption in operations and loss of revenue to negative impact on the organization’s reputation.

“As a first step to adopting this strategy, SMBs can use Cisco’s new online assessment tool aimed at helping businesses improve their resilience by providing a better understanding of their cybersecurity preparedness, and the opportunities and gaps that require attention,” Nicart said.

Here’s the link to the assessment tool.

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