Effective communication with board members is essential to ensure that directors are informed, engaged and able to make informed decisions regarding the success of a company. Boards are faced with the task of finding a balance between the need to communicate well and the need to safeguard sensitive information from cyberattacks.
Boards must use secure collaboration tools such as board portals as well as real-time messaging platforms to keep discussions, documents and other sensitive information private. This is a growing priority as more companies are subject to breaches and hacks, and regulators set new security standards.
Security experts say that it is not a question of “if” an company will suffer a data breach, but rather “when.” A successful cybersecurity framework requires an effective board relationship with the chief information security officer (CISO). CISOs must make use of every opportunity to convey their vision and strategy to the board, and leveraging the board’s buy-in for an effective response to cyberattacks.
Many board members and governance professionals rely on personal email to communicate with their internal governance team especially during virtual meetings. This puts organizations in greater risk of phishing attacks and other cyberattacks targeting high-profile 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 data they share via insecure channels like meeting minutes or informal communication. It is also essential to use a secure document sharing platform that provides encryption and access controls to stop documents from being copied or downloaded by unauthorized individuals, such as those found in a cyberattack.
