We've all heard about the massive cyber breaches that have been reported in the news over the past year, which have made a lot of people nervous, and rightly so.
The Government of Canada has released its long-awaited update to the national cyber security strategy, which is designed to better protect Canadians from cyber crime, quickly respond to emerging threats, and provide protection for critical government and private sector systems. It's important to note that the UK, New Zealand and Australia already have similar programs in place, so we're really just playing catch-up.
On a per-capita basis, Canadians spend the most time online of any country in the world, which makes good cyber-security an absolute necessity.
One interesting goal of the strategy update is to create a recognizable certification for cyber security providers to help small and medium-sized businesses demonstrate to customers that they at least have the security basics in place. Participating organizations would use some sort of a badge or logo in their marketing materials to promote trust.
This certification program will be created in consultation with industry, small-medium businesses (SMBs) and potential certification bodies. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which oversees security for federal systems, will be tasked with defining the basic set of measures that SMBs would need to meet. And the Standards Council of Canada will approve certification bodies to ensure that all parties comply with the standards.
To read more about this initiative, visit the government's site at https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/ntnl-cbr-scrt-strtg/index-en.aspx
For our part, Sentryon has always been at the forefront of cyber-security for small-medium businesses. In 2010 we developed SecureFirst, our proven 7-layer protection system, and since then have been constantly researching and adjusting it to combat emerging threats. Not sure if your business is truly secure? Get a no-cost, no-obligation 68-point Network and Security Assessment.