Starting with Yourself

We’ve talked about the fast rate of change of technology, the forced need to be online, our ability (or inability) to adapt to this change and keep our technology and systems safe, the lack of control over other services’ data breaches, and the burst of growth in the sale of our data and identities.

It’s obvious security is important. But it can feel daunting to know where to start and what to secure first.

We recommend beginning with yourself and working outward:

• Start with your own security and the security of the systems and accounts you use that are managed by others. Anywhere you put your data and your money should be in this category, and your email should be considered your crown jewels.

• Then turn to your family’s security, including the systems and accounts that you share and use to communicate with them. This can include their social media, email, document storage, or online payment systems.

• The security of the people you do business with and the systems or accounts they use to communicate with you or pay you.

If you run a business, you have more homework, such as:

• The security of any digital products or services you provide.

• The security of your business’ online presence, because everyone needs to have at least a website, social media, and email (even if you are a brick-and-mortar shop or provide a manual service).

• The security of your online accounts and any accounts or services that you might not manage, but hold your data (things like storage, email, social media, and any other operational or administrative systems).

• The security of your office, because whether it’s remote, a co-working space, or an office, there will be an element of physical and local network security to keep in mind.

• Scaling security and compliance at the company as it grows in employees, customers, the scope of its products, and the complexity of its operations.

You can start to consider which of the points above apply to you, and highlight them.

This is also how this book is organized. It’s here to help you find what applies to you, do the work, and get back to what matters most!