Effective board communication is essential to ensure that directors are well-informed, involved and able to make informed decisions about a company’s success. Boards are faced with the task of finding a balance between the need to communicate effectively and the need to safeguard sensitive information from cyberattacks.
Boards must utilize secure collaboration tools like board portals as well as real-time messaging platforms to ensure that discussions documents, meetings and other sensitive data secure. This is becoming a priority as more businesses are impacted by hacks and breaches and regulators have introduced new security standards.
Security experts from the field say it’s not an issue of “if” rather “when” an organization could suffer a data https://www.boardroomsolutions.org breach. A successful cybersecurity plan includes a strong relationship between the board and the chief info security officer (CISO). CISOs must leverage every opportunity to convey their vision and strategy to the board, while leveraging the board’s endorsement to provide an effective response to cyberattacks.
Many board members and other professionals rely on personal email to send internal governance communications, particularly during virtual meetings. This puts organizations in greater risk of phishing attacks and other cyberattacks targeting prominent individuals, like directors and executives at the C-level.
It is essential to train your board members about the importance of cybersecurity. This should include a review of the information that they share through insecure channels such as meeting minutes or informal communication. Additionally, it is important to utilize a secure document-sharing platform that offers encryption and access controls to keep documents from being downloaded or copied by unauthorized parties, such as those found in a cyberattack.