The cyber threat landscape is constantly shifting, with businesses facing a rising number of diverse cyber security threats, as well as more stringent data protection laws. To put things into perspective, 50% of UK businesses reported a cyber incident last year. The financial and reputational damage on businesses can be immense, and the psychological impact on employees can be significant.
The threat landscape is now dominated by social engineering. Among organisations that identified a breach or attack in the last 12 months, phishing accounted for 84% of cases and impersonation for 35% in businesses, exploiting the human element in security. Meanwhile, the hybrid working model continues to present more opportunities for cyber criminals and more challenges for hard-working IT teams.
Today, ransomware groups are adapting to advanced defences by using legitimate software and launching attacks outside normal working hours to avoid detection. The ransomware “top tier” of criminal groups is in constant churn, with dominant groups emerging and disappearing rapidly.
This shift demands an integrated, multi-layered approach to cyber security, that pairs security by design with proactive defence. At Canon, we believe this starts with firm foundations like trusted devices, but is maintained through active oversight, and strengthened through scheduled testing. Together, these practices reduce risk, maintain steady operations and simplify reporting, to help businesses navigate the complexities of the modern threat landscape with confidence.
The importance of a security roadmap
Alarming emerging trends such as “Impersonation-as-a-Service” (IaaS) platforms highlight the importance of a multi-layered security approach that doesn’t rely on a single point of verification, as well as the need for continuous employee training.
By following a comprehensive security roadmap, businesses can be confident that they’re addressing the key areas required to safeguard data, ensure business continuity, and ultimately protect their reputation.
That’s why, as part of our partnership with Wavenet, we have developed a 15-Step Security Roadmap, designed to guide teams through strengthening their defences systematically. At the heart of this roadmap is Canon’s complete range of CyberGuard services, safeguarding businesses with threat detection, intrusion prevention, and expert guidance.
Reflected in this roadmap and crucial to any business’ security posture are three key phases: Fundamentals. Surveillance and Fortification.
Proactive surveillance is the key to staying ahead
While basic protections like domain security and device management are fundamental, the key to staying ahead is proactive surveillance. In a threat landscape that demands constant vigilance, this is about detecting sophisticated attacks and responding effectively when incidents occur.
That’s why the middle phase of our Security Roadmap focuses on Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR); Incident Response Planning (IRP); SIEM Implementation and Vulnerability Management.
These advanced surveillance strategies can help teams detect hidden and sophisticated threats faster, respond effectively to minimise damage from incidents, gain comprehensive visibility across their networks, and proactively reduce attack surfaces.
Preparing for what comes next
The final phase of a security roadmap should be all about rehearsal and refinement. This means offensive testing to uncover weaknesses before cyber criminals do. A big part of this is about fostering collaboration between attack and defence teams, also known as purple teaming. Additionally, threat intelligence and threat hunting can help teams keep pace with evolving tactics and enable them to actively seek out hidden threats. Finally, building your very own cyber security playbook ensures effective, coordinated incident response.
Not only will realistic testing validate the effectiveness of your security controls but also prepare teams to handle incidents smoothly with clear game plans, anticipate threats by integrating external intelligence, and uncover sophisticated threats lurking undetected in your network.
Resilience for the future
Cyber threats and incidents do more than disrupt systems. They pause operations, erode trust, and increase legal exposure. With a significant amount of sensitive data passing through printers and document workflows on a daily basis, it just takes one unsecured device to expose this data or create a new entry point for cyber criminals.
My key piece of advice when introducing a security roadmap would be to measure what matters – time to detect, respond and recover from high severity issues. The job doesn’t end as soon as you have the fundamentals in place – proactive surveillance, rehearsal and refinement are just as important. A security roadmap approach requires long-term dedication and development to reach its full potential.
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