As startups experience growth from small teams of 50 to a few hundred staff, management often finds themselves grappling with a new set of challenges. Many organisations are caught off guard by their sudden transition into a mid-sized entity. Often, the focus remains on sales and revenue to drive growth, while cybersecurity and data protection take a back seat. Yet, in the age of digital transformation, this approach can expose businesses to significant risks, particularly concerning data leakage and insider threats.
The Risk of Data Leakage During Growth
As companies scale, so does the volume of sensitive information they handle. This includes proprietary intellectual property (IP) and sensitive customer data. While startups tend to foster a close-knit culture where sensitive data management may feel second nature, the rapid growth toward a mid-sized organisation can complicate these processes. With more employees, systems, and external partnerships, the risk of data leakage increases. Employees leaving the organisation may carry with them knowledge that can be leveraged by competitors, potentially causing irreversible damage to the company's competitive edge. This exodus of critical IP can be especially harmful when top talent joins competing firms.
Management in growing companies may not even realize that they've reached a stage where these risks have become material threats. By the time they're mid-sized, significant vulnerabilities can already exist within the organisation's security infrastructure. The urgency to protect critical data from internal and external threats becomes paramount.
Embedding Security Early On
The key to mitigating these risks lies in embedding a culture of security from the outset, rather than retroactively trying to change organisational behaviour once growth has occurred. Establishing a strong security posture early helps to fortify the organisation as it scales. This involves not only implementing robust data protection policies but also fostering a company-wide culture of active monitoring of staff activity.
However, it is essential to note that most data leakage is not the result of malicious intent. In fact, studies show that 95% of unsanctioned and undesirable activities by staff are not malicious. Employees often lack the awareness or understanding of secure practices, inadvertently compromising security. For example, employees may unknowingly upload sensitive data to unsecured cloud services or transfer it via USB drives, potentially opening up security vulnerabilities. The challenge for management is to guide staff on best practices, offering the necessary support and training.
Building a Strong Security Culture
Building a security-conscious workforce is vital in preventing insider risk. Organisations need to invest in systems which educate employees about data protection, risk management, and compliance. Through these initiatives, companies can proactively address data leakage and insider threats before they become serious issues.
One of the most effective methods to support this secure culture is by implementing a robust data leakage and insider risk monitoring platform such as ShadowSight. Not only does ShadowSight provide comprehensive monitoring solutions, but it also ensures that employees are guided toward safer behaviour without overwhelming them with unnecessary alerts or disruptions.
ShadowSight: The Solution for Data Leakage and Insider Risk
ShadowSight offers organisations a solution that addresses both data leakage and insider risks without drowning them in alert noise. Its sophisticated alert management system significantly reduces the "noise" that typically plagues most platforms, allowing organisations to focus on the most pressing concerns.
Some of the key features of ShadowSight include:
- Noise reduction: Unlike most platforms, ShadowSight eliminates unnecessary alert noise by identifying gaps in policy awareness and systemic failures. Only a small number of residual alerts remain to be addressed, making the alert process more manageable.
- Known good activity: ShadowSight provides a one-click process for filtering out known good activity, reducing the need for expensive professional services to sift through alerts manually.
- Enhanced monitoring: It allows organisations to easily enhance monitoring for risky activities that could put the organisation at risk, facilitating a smoother integration with business processes.
- Behavioral and contextual analysis: ShadowSight uses advanced collective intelligence and contextual data to assess and score risks, providing comprehensive insight into staff activities.
- Comprehensive data leakage prevention: ShadowSight detects data leakage across multiple vectors such as email, USB, NAS devices, cloud uploads, and external networks, helping to secure sensitive IP and proprietary information.
Seamless Implementation and Global Scalability
One of the standout advantages of ShadowSight is its ability to can be implemented within a day in its agentless form. The ShadowSight endpoint agent offers significant visibility into staff activity, also enhancing data sovereignty by ensuring that data is managed within your geographical region.
ShadowSight’s infrastructure is scalable to meet the needs of any organisation, regardless of size. From small businesses to large enterprises, ShadowSight ensures optimal performance and localised data compliance by adhering to regional data protection regulations.
Results That Matter
Organisations that implement ShadowSight often see rapid improvements in their security culture and risk posture. One of the most significant benefits is the change in staff behaviour. With 99% of non-compliant activities being non-malicious, ShadowSight guides staff toward safer practices, with immediate results. The platform also uncovers systemic issues within the organisation, leading to reduced risk and a more secure environment.
Cost Efficiency and Return on Investment
ShadowSight offers a subscription-based model that scales based on the number of staff in an organisation. It consolidates data leakage prevention and SIEM tools, resulting in significant cost savings while enhancing security effectiveness. The platform's effectiveness is seen quickly, with a return on investment (ROI) often visible within just a month.
In Summary
For organisations that are experiencing growth, protecting sensitive information should be a top priority. The transition from startup to mid-sized enterprise brings with it a host of challenges, but the loss of intellectual property and data leakage doesn't have to be one of them. By embedding a culture of security early on and leveraging tools like ShadowSight, companies can safeguard their most valuable assets while continuing to scale effectively. A proactive approach to insider risk management will not only help retain competitive advantage but will also foster trust within the organisation and with its external stakeholders.
Strategic Advisor, ShadowSight
Who is Christopher McNaughton
Chris is a proficient problem solver with a strategic aptitude for anticipating and addressing potential business issues, particularly in areas such as Insider Threat, Data Governance, Digital Forensics, Workplace Investigations, and Cyber Security. He thrives on turning intricate challenges into opportunities for increased efficiency, offering pragmatic solutions derived from a practical and realistic approach.
Starting his career as a law enforcement Detective, Chris transitioned to multinational organisations where he specialised and excelled in Cyber Security, proving his authority in the field. Even under demanding circumstances, his commitment to delivering exceptional results remains unwavering, underpinned by his extraordinary ability to understand both cyber and business problems swiftly, along with a deep emphasis on active listening.
What is ShadowSight
ShadowSight is a data leakage prevention and insider risk management platform. It combines behavior analytics, SEIM and an integrated workflow to dynamically adjust to business risk. Staff activity is risk rated and reviewed to highlight risky events.
This Australian developed platform streamlines threat detection with user-friendly interfaces, eliminates ongoing professional services, and integrates seamlessly into business processes.
It efficiently filters activities, applies custom rules, and offers comprehensive visibility through a single pane. ShadowSight provides a smarter, cost-effective approach to safeguarding against data leakage and insider risk, distinguishing itself as a leader in adaptive security solutions.
#insiderthreat #employeemonitoring #datalossprevention #dataleakage #insiderriskmanagement
