Every interaction occurring in your system, whether it involves servers exchanging data, user communication, or IoT devices reporting data, raises security concerns. Security is a complex topic that encompasses many different components, making it challenging to design and develop a secure system. When a system with security issues goes into production, it can result in significant costs. In this article, you will learn about the challenges of creating a secure system, the importance of having one, and what is needed to highly secure a system.

Challenges in Creating a Secure System

A system can consist of various hardware pieces such as cloud machines, on-prem servers, IoT devices, personal computers, smartphones, and more. Additionally, systems involve software, including different programming languages, techniques, and best practices. Your system also comprises the people who use it, including developers, administrators, standard users, and other possible roles, each with their own set of permissions, requirements, and preferences. All these components play a vital role in information security, but they also add complexity to designing and managing a secure system. It can be challenging to achieve security, given the various angles from which it can be approached. When security is neglected, these components can behave unexpectedly and compound each other, potentially leading to severe consequences for a company.

Cost of a Security Breach

A study on security found that 83% of organizations have suffered more than one data breach. While large tech companies can often absorb these costs, for smaller companies and startups, security breaches can be so severe and costly that they lead to the demise of the entire organization. Financial loss is a significant impact of security breaches, but there are other ways security can damage a company, such as damaging its reputation with users and causing lost time for the team as they work to fix the problems.

How to Secure Your System

1. Design for Security

Security should be a priority from the beginning of conceptualizing your system. The architecture of your system greatly influences how you need to approach security. Your design should include a solid plan for handling authentication and validation as each component of your system interacts with one another.

2. Test Across Environments

Testing, both manually and automated, is crucial for security. Conflicts across environments are common, and thorough testing, along with an understanding of the different machines involved, can significantly impact the security of your system.

3. Use a Managed IT Support Team

If your business lacks the resources to handle all its cybersecurity concerns, consider using a managed IT support team. This can help you focus on what your team does best, knowing that your system is being managed by experts.

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a secure system requires a deep understanding of each system component and how they interact. Security breaches can be costly, especially for small businesses and startups. To secure your system, you can design it for security, thoroughly test it across all environments, and consider using a managed IT support team to handle your infrastructure.