Effective communication between directors is essential for ensuring that directors make informed decisions and are actively involved. However, boards must face the problem of balancing the need to communicate effectively while also protecting sensitive information from cyberattacks.
Boards must use secure collaboration tools like board portals and real-time messaging platforms to keep discussions documents, meetings and other sensitive data secure. This is a growing priority as more companies are subject to breaches and hacks and regulators establish new security standards.
Security experts from the field say it's not about "if" it's "when" an organization will be the victim of a data breach. A successful cybersecurity strategy includes a strong relationship between the board and the chief information security officer (CISO). CISOs must leverage every opportunity to communicate their vision and strategy to the board, while leveraging the board's buy-in for an effective response to cyberattacks.
Many board members and governance experts use their personal email accounts to send internal messages, especially during virtual meetings. This practice puts organizations at threat of phishing attacks and other cyberattacks targeting prominent individuals like directors, C-level executives and other high-ranking management personnel.
It is critical to provide training to your board members on the importance of using cybersecurity best practices. This should include a review of the data they share on unsecure channels, such as meeting minutes or informal communications. It is also essential to utilize a secure document-sharing platform that is encrypted and has access controls to stop documents from being copied or downloaded by outside parties, such as those that are found in cyberattacks.