Secure Board Communication and Cybersecurity Best Practices

Effective communication with the board is vital to ensure that directors are well informed, engaged and able to make sound decisions about the company’s performance. However, boards must face the problem of balancing the need to communicate effectively, while safeguarding sensitive information and preventing cyberattacks.

Boards should utilize secure collaboration tools, such as boards portals and messaging platforms that are real-time, to ensure that discussions confidential documents, sensitive discussions and other data secure. This is becoming a priority as more companies are affected by hacks and breaches and regulators adopt new security standards.

Cybersecurity experts state that it’s not a matter of “if” an organization will experience a data breach and not “when.” A successful cybersecurity strategy includes an effective board relationship with the chief information security officer (CISO). CISOs must take advantage of every opportunity to convey 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 rely on their personal email accounts to send out internal communications, especially during virtual meetings. This practice puts organizations in greater risk of phishing attacks and other cyberattacks that target high-profile individuals, like directors and C-level executives.

It is important to train your board members about the importance of cybersecurity. This should include a review of the information that they share on boardroomsolutions.org/best-driver-update-software unsecure channels such as meeting notes or informal communications. It is also important to use a secure document sharing platform that is encrypted and has access controls to protect documents from being downloaded or copied by unauthorized entities, such as those found in a cyberattack.