Effective cybersecurity is more important than ever for businesses as cyber threats continue to evolve in Ireland and across the globe. A data breach can have catastrophic financial and reputational consequences for your business. Developing a strong cybersecurity strategy and building cyber resilience is key to combatting these often unforeseen threats. This can seem like a daunting task, so we have put together five steps to get you started on your journey.
1. Assess Your Risks and Vulnerabilities
When creating any kind of strategy, the first step a business needs to take is to assess its current position. When developing a cybersecurity strategy, this means identifying the main cyber threats to your business and examining the measures that are currently in place to protect against them. These threats may include malware, phishing, and supply chain attacks. Once you understand the key threats that your company faces, you can develop a targeted plan that protects your operations. An effective cybersecurity strategy should align with your business priorities and enable you to securely achieve your objectives.
2. Create Strict Policies and Procedures
The success or failure of any cybersecurity strategy depends on the strength of the policies and procedures that are implemented. After identifying the main risk areas, an organisation must develop strict policies aimed at building cyber resilience. These policies can cover staff training, identity and access management, data protection, an incident response plan in the event of a cyberattack, and procedures for protecting the company’s data when working remotely.
3. Appoint a Cybersecurity Leadership Team
Developing a cybersecurity strategy can undoubtedly be a challenging process for the entire organisation. Businesses can make this as smooth as possible by appointing a cybersecurity leadership team to oversee the rollout. By assigning ownership to a specific team, organisations can ensure that this vital aspect of business operations is receiving the necessary focus. Additionally, employees will have an expert team to turn to for support when it comes to cybersecurity issues or queries.
4. Test your Strategy – and keep testing
Once you have assessed your cyber vulnerabilities, implemented strong security procedures and appointed a cybersecurity leadership team, it’s crucial to test (and keep testing) your strategy. Penetration testing involves running a simulated cyberattack on your business and, by reviewing your cybersecurity response, you will be able to identify and address any weaknesses or gaps in your strategy. By regularly testing your strategy, your business will be able to keep pace with ever-evolving threats – which is vital to building cyber resilience.
5. Seek Expert Support
Cybersecurity is a complex topic and can be overwhelming, especially for SMEs with limited time and resources. Expert support from a managed service provider (MSP) can be invaluable when developing a cybersecurity strategy. An experienced partner can help you to design the best strategy for your business, while freeing you up to focus on your core goals. Engaging the support of an MSP is also a good way to ensure that you are compliant with Irish and EU regulations when it comes to cybersecurity – as noncompliance in these areas can result in heavy penalties. In addition, they can provide secure technical solutions such as firewalls that are crucial to building cyber resilience.
The Bottom Line
The best way to protect your business against a rising tide of cybersecurity threats is by developing a strong cybersecurity strategy that is tailored to your business’s specific needs. This will protect your critical data, enable you to continue to grow and innovate, and futureproof your operations.
For practical advice and guidance on building resilience against evolving cyber threats, Landmark Technologies is hosting a breakfast event with Dublin Chamber on Thursday, 25th September 2025. Attendees will learn about the real cost of cyberattacks, how to tackle changing risks, and what new EU rules mean for Irish businesses. To see the full agenda and book your place, click here.
Or, to find out more about Landmark’s cybersecurity services, speak to our highly skilled technical or customer service teams. Call us on 01 569 1056 or email hello@landmark.ie.
