Why Should You Merge Physical Security and Cybersecurity?

Merge Physical Security and Cybersecurity

In today’s post-COVID-19 era, there are numerous companies or organizations still working without improving their physical security and cybersecurity. 

That said, IoT technology has evolved at a rapid pace in recent years. It means more systems will move into the cloud with the passage of time, organizations need to redshift their focus towards cybersecurity from scratch.   

When it comes to security, you cannot overlook the consequences of cybercrime in today’s era because cybercrime is correlated to loopholes that exist in physical security practices. 

Thus, a comprehensive approach that converges both physical security and cybersecurity is the need of the hour. For example, companies or business entities working in countries like the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, etc. have to face different cyber issues like remote work security challenges, hacking, phishing, and others. Compared to other countries, cybersecurity issues are more grave in Australia.

That’s because businesses or organizations within Australian territory deal with other cyber threats like credentials theft, social engineering attacks, data breaches, industry-wide cyber attacks, etc. on a regular basis. 

 Therefore, companies need to add top-notch Australian VPN services to their prevailing cybersecurity strategies to overcome these above-mentioned cybersecurity threats in the right direction. For reference, VPN tested has provided a list of the best VPN for Australia, including other features to consider when choosing one.

Why is physical security important to cybersecurity?

The main logic behind physical security is to secure the official resources or assets including information systems, employees’ devices like laptops, tablets, IoT devices, etc. 

Apart from this, physical security is also about protecting crucial data whether in electronic or paper form from the prying eyes of unauthorized people. 

Relationship between physical security and cybersecurity

There is a strong correlation between physical security and cybersecurity as you cannot improve your organization’s cybersecurity without enhancing physical security first. 

Physical security is a phenomenon by which you can protect your cybersecurity to a certain degree. For example, it allows companies to give their employees limited access to spaces where crucial business data is stored. This is an important protective measure in addition to virtual tools like zero trust security.

As you might know, different physical security components like smartphones, RFID keys, car door locks, video surveillance cameras, etc. connected to the internet are easy targets for cybercriminals. Thus, companies or organizations need to beef up the existing cybersecurity tactics that help them protect their sensitive data by safeguarding their physical systems. 

When organizations merge IT security into a single business entity, they can effectively address different cybersecurity issues. As a result, companies can create result-oriented cybersecurity policies that allow them to improve their cybersecurity to the next level.       

Physical security as a cybersecurity issue

Business entities must improve their physical security because it has become one of the major cybersecurity concerns in recent years. Otherwise, companies or organizations will not be able to reap the rewards of cybersecurity practices and policies in the future. 

Therefore, companies should consider physical security as a crucial part of their cybersecurity procedures. By doing so, they will be in a better position to prevent different cyber threats including data theft, hacking, etc. in the first place. 

For instance, they should not allow unauthorized personnel to enter their business premises. This way, they can overcome a major risk like data theft to a certain extent. 

Likewise, hackers can access your corporate network benefiting from loopholes such as unsecured Wi-Fi connections, IoT devices, etc without entering your workplace. Consequently, they can easily disable numerous physical security devices like access control systems and alarms, surveillance cameras, etc.

Unfortunately, the above-described scenario can affect the physical security of your business a great deal. That’s because criminals can enter your workplace anytime and steal sensitive official resources or assets like laptops, employee records, customer information, etc.        

Converged security best practices

Once companies or organizations deploy a physical and cybersecurity convergence strategy within their workplaces, they can proactively safeguard their network devices including applications, security systems, cloud-based devices, etc. 

Here are some useful converged security practices organizations and businesses entities can follow to improve their digital presence considerably:

  • Update all their workplace devices such as laptops, desktops, mobile devices, tablets and other IoT devices regularly
  • Install access control and surveillance for spaces that store or manage crucial business data such as official communication, customers’ personal information, etc. 
  • Apply multi-factor authentication (MFA) process as and when needed to enhance the existing cybersecurity practices 
  • There is no harm in restructuring security teams and including cybersecurity professionals like ethical hackers if possible that will help companies identify and respond to various security threats in a timely manner
  • Provide cybersecurity training to your workforce as they are responsible for managing different devices like corporate networks, physical security systems, connected IoT devices, and others. Through effective cybersecurity training, they can safeguard all these devices without posing any cybersecurity risk to your organization or business.   

Wrapping Things Up

Organizations or companies that tighten their physical security and cybersecurity can deal with numerous security risks in the right manner. Moreover, they are better prepared to proactively identify, prevent, and mitigate various risks. 

As a result, they can develop effective security policies across different departments by converging physical and cybersecurity.