How to Manage Supply Chain Risks Effectively

Businesses like yours have benefited greatly from digital transformation, including simpler order processing and inventory management. Organizations are, however, more susceptible to cyberattacks and data breaches as a result. Anywhere in your supply chain where a breach occurs could have serious effects on your company. How then can you defend your company from these dangers? 

Although it is a good beginning, implementing security solutions within your organization is insufficient. The size and complexity of supply chains have increased, making it nearly impossible to identify risk factors or completely eliminate failure points. 

It’s time for your company to stop viewing cybersecurity and data protection as merely IT concerns. It’s a problem that involves people, systems, and knowledge that impacts every link in your supply chain. As a result, risks throughout your supply chain should be taken into account by your preventive and corrective measures. 

Include supply chain security in the governance process. 

Ad hoc risk management of the supply chain will only lead to confusion and chaos. Instead, incorporate it into your security procedures and guidelines. Employees will then be aware of how to coordinate with outside companies and what kinds of security measures are required. 

The best practices for supply chain cybersecurity include:

  • Identifying who is in charge of holding suppliers and vendors accountable
  • Establishing a security checklist for choosing suppliers and vendors
  • Defining the methods and frequency for assessing and monitoring suppliers’ cybersecurity practices
  • Establishing a system to gauge performance and progress

Pay attention to compliance 

To prevent weak links in their supply chain, organizations must abide by a number of regulations. For instance, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification must be followed by the defense industrial base (CMMC). For various industries and focus areas, there are numerous other compliance regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. 

To demonstrate and maintain compliance, organizations typically must submit to thorough evaluations, produce various reports and documentation, and implement best practices. You can make sure your company complies with all requirements by requiring your vendors to follow these rules. 

Respecting the relevant laws is essential. Along with enhancing your data security and cybersecurity, it will also guarantee that everyone on your team adheres to the same standards. The most recent industry standards must be followed because these regulations are frequently updated. 

Install layered, comprehensive security measures 

When you work with many different third-party vendors, it is nearly impossible to anticipate threats. The number of potential attack vectors is excessive. Because of this, thorough, layered security is crucial. 

Layered security is a more comprehensive strategy that uses a different approach or solution to safeguard each layer of your IT infrastructure. So, even if one solution doesn’t work, you have backup plans in place. 

Of course, the effectiveness of layered security depends on who maintains it. Because of this, regular training and testing for your employees is necessary. They must be able to recognize potential threats and respond appropriately. 

Adopt and implement international guidelines for data and IT security 

You must communicate and work together with your vendors because modern supply chains are so interconnected. Large amounts of data, including private customer information like medical records, personally identifiable information, and financial information, are therefore exchanged. Such information needs to be securely stored, with only regulated access and ongoing monitoring and alerting. 

But how can you be certain of this? By implementing and upholding global IT and data security norms like GDPR and HIPAA. These standards make sure businesses keep track of the private information they collect, can back up their claims with thorough documentation and have taken the necessary steps to protect their data. In addition, you ought to ask a software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendor if they are SOC 2 or ISO 27001 compliant. This shows that the vendor is protecting data in accordance with industry standards. 

The best step forward 

The time has come to locate and secure weak points in your supply chain as supply chains become smarter and more interconnected. Don’t worry if you don’t have the time or resources to complete this on your own; it takes a lot of dedicated time and effort. We, an IT service provider, can be of assistance. 

We can assist with the deployment of multiple layers of security to protect your data and keep you in compliance with the law. Please get in touch with us for a consultation. 

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