Cyber Readiness Institute launches global training program

The Cyber Readiness Institute is launching a new Cyber Readiness Program to help small and medium-sized businesses understand basic cybersecurity issues.

The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI), backed by global enterprise leaders including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga, developed the program to embed basic cyber policies and processes into a company's operating culture.

This, CRI states, will further the goal to engage a company's entire workforce, create a culture of cyber readiness, and build a more secure and resilient organisation.

It will focus on tools and resources that focus on four main cybersecurity issues: authentication, patching, phishing, and USB use.

According to the Verizon 2018 Data Breach Investigations report, 58% of breach victims around the world are small or medium businesses. Those businesses are not doing much to address the problem because they do not have the resources, skills and knowledge to do so.

"The internet is an amazing thing that has opened new doors and new opportunities for all. At the same time, it does not have an inherent prioritisation of security," says CRI co-chair and Mastercard president Ajay Banga.

"Since cyber threats treat everyone the same, there are some foundational steps we can take to strengthen all the links in today's supply chain. And that starts with best practices and proven tools for smaller business owners who do not have the same resources to invest in these efforts. That's where CRI comes in.

The Cyber Readiness Program was developed with the help of security experts at global companies, subject matter experts, and feedback from a pilot program of SMBs. That pilot program worked with 19 businesses around the globe that had up to 750 employees.

Microsoft CVP of customer security - trust, Tom Burt, says cybersecurity is one of the critical issues facing all companies.

"For small and medium-sized businesses, an incident or breach can have devastating consequences. Helping SMBs better manage top cyber challenges not only helps individual companies, it fosters stronger resilience across business ecosystems.

Organisations can also get involved with the Cyber Readiness Program by becoming a Cyber Readiness Champion to raise awareness within their networks through website, social media, and email promotion.

The Cyber Readiness Institute is working with several champion organizations including the Global Cyber Alliance, CTIA, CyberUSA, Global Automakers, The Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), The Security Network Munich, Cyber Wyoming, Gener8tor, Ethisphere, the Center for Responsible Enterprise And Trade (CREATe.org), the Cybersecurity Collaborative and others.