Professionals who specialize in cybersecurity realized long ago that there was no single way to protect a business from malicious attacks from hackers who were seeking to access their confidential information. While there are many different ways to protect your information, no one technique has ever been entirely successful. The key to providing the most effective cybersecurity protocols is to layer different types of security measures so that the gaps and loopholes between each one are significantly smaller, allowing hackers less time to do their dirty work.

Check out the video below to learn some quick ABCs to better cybersecurity.

The Increased Risk of Cyber Attacks

Billions of cyber attacks are blocked each year by cybersecurity professionals who have developed programs that use a layered system. Each layer of security is more intricate than the next, reducing a hacker’s ability to maneuver as they work their way through the levels of defense mechanisms. It’s estimated that a hacker can remain embedded in a network’s system for up to 100 days or more. This is 100 days too long, especially if they can maintain their access long enough to find their way around the roadblocks that have been put up by cybersecurity programs.

Why Layers Are So Beneficial

Layers are beneficial for many reasons. Just put each layer provides an additional level of defense so that with each extra layer of security that can be added, there is less and less access making it more challenging to find ways to infiltrate the system. While each layer in and of itself is not an adequate defense mechanism, layering them together improves each one’s efficiency until the last layer completely blocks out the hacker’s ability to gain entry. Instead of trying to rely on just one or two lines of defense, like access cards and two-step identification, multiple layers of security will lower your risk of a breach and make it easier to respond to legitimate inquiries and requests.

The Right Defense At the Right Time

With a layered defense approach, several things happen. First, threats that are detected early are eliminated so that they won’t pose a threat or be able to block authentic attempts to enter the system. The next thing to happen is that if an email enters the system and is picked up as a threat, but clarification is needed, it is sent to an area where it can be easily verified. This rapid capture and validate process means less downtime and allows your team to continue to be productive. It also eliminates the need for a person to have to go into the system to clear an item. The right defense at the right time within a layered cybersecurity program offers your company a chance to continue to work at full speed while your defense mechanisms are in place and taking care of business.

Improving Your Cyber Security’s Effectiveness

If you are trying to prevent financial loss and improve the overall value of your network, then layering your security protocols is your best whole line of defense. It will reduce the false positives that prevent your company from maintaining interaction with legitimate contacts, while at the same time helping you improve your visibility. By establishing a verified pathway that goes from the network to the server following a defined set of points that lie in between, any type of threat is detected much easier and eliminated without slowing down your system’s operation. The layered security concept creates an interwoven network of protection that prevents unwanted intruders from accessing (or even lingering for long periods of time) within your system.

If you need a cybersecurity program that is both effective and efficient, go for the layered approach. It provides multi-levels of defense that both identifies and eliminates threats on many different levels. With each added layer you compound your level of protection until you have a wall of security that is almost impenetrable. The increased risk of loss associated with cyber-attacks cannot be denied, so it’s vital that you use a security approach that takes many different types of threats into consideration and deals with each one quickly and efficiently.