Military terminology can be a great descriptor for the various actions and approaches taken in the IT industry. A case in point is what some refer to as the “left of boom” and “right of boom” methodologies in the cybersecurity area, indicating the different ways companies protect their data and business systems. The former refers to the moments before a bomb explodes, while the latter is what comes after. Substitute “breach” into that equation instead of detonation, and you have the perfect way to describe cybersecurity approaches.
Left of boom covers all the typical prevention methods that MSPs employ to protect their clients before a breach, including implementing firewalls, encryption technologies, security awareness training, and multi-factor authentication. Cybersecurity risk assessment, vulnerability scanning, and other proactive evaluation techniques can also help minimize the growing threats that businesses face today.
Inversely, the right of boom measures come into play after an incident. If a ransomware attack occurs or a hacker “strikes gold,” your clients will most likely look to their MSP for help, though today, most if not all of those plans should already be in place. However, no business should put too much reliance on reactive measures, especially if they value their data or need to meet certain compliance requirements. A single employee lapse of judgment could be extremely costly in those scenarios.
Bring Balance to the Boom
Like critical police and emergency services, the response to a cybersecurity incident is never instantaneous. Time is crucial. A few minutes delay could let cybercriminals steal or encrypt terabytes of data and corrupt scores of your clients’ business-critical servers and other computer systems. The ease with which ransomware pervades networks is frightening, and it can take days, if not weeks, to repair the technology-related damage. Losses due to downtime and hits on the company’s reputation may never be recovered.
“Right of boom” solutions are essential for minimizing your client’s recovery time. However, heavy reliance on those measures can leave those businesses vulnerable to the smallest mistake or system failure. One misstep or outage could wipe out days of data. Without periodic testing, your clients could be in for a big surprise if ransomware were to infiltrate their critical business systems and applications.
Complete reliance on “left of boom” solutions is not the optimal choice, either. While investing in the prevention side of the equation is critical for eradicating critical vulnerabilities and deterring attackers, every organization needs failsafe options to remediate damage if anything does get through. Determined cybercriminals will find a way.
Striking a proper balance with investments on both sides of the “boom” is essential. A common MSP practice is to take the front-loaded cybersecurity, providing clients with more proactive measures that deter attacks and focusing on a few key remediation options to cover all the bases.
Cover the Middle Ground, Too
Left and Right of Boom provide great context for your cybersecurity strategies. Keeping it simple for non-techie clients is essential. Explaining that you have proactive measures and remediation options in place to cover the inevitable attacks can keep their eyes from hazing over. Throwing in the military jargon can liven up the discussion.
However, the situation may not be as clear-cut as a true left and right approach. There is a middle ground in cybersecurity, solutions and measures that work both proactively and reactively to mitigate the effects of an attack.
CryptoStopper fills that role for MSPs. Consider it a prevention control that swiftly responds to ransomware before it achieves its objectives, mitigating the impact on your clients’ data and systems. Automatically detecting and stopping actively running attacks protects the middle ground, saves your team and your clients a lot of time and headaches, and avoids the cost and embarrassment that often comes with remediation.
CryptoStopper is that insurance policy for when ransomware breaks through the first hurdles. It sits in that cybersecurity sweet spot just to the left of boom before an attack can cause real damage. Are you covering all your bases on data protection? Drop the “boom” on ransomware today by partnering with CryptoStopper.
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