Security issues: how ITSM can reduce cyber threats

Cybersecurity has always been a major concern for IT organizations. And with good reason. According to IBM, the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million.

Now, with directives like NIS2 placing even stricter cybersecurity requirements on businesses, getting on top of security issues with ITSM is more crucial than ever.

How are ITSM and security related?

While ITSM provides a framework for managing how IT is used in your organization, cybersecurity involves safeguarding your systems, networks, and data from cyber threats. Although their focuses are different, cybersecurity and IT Service Management (ITSM) are very much intertwined.

Integrating security best practices into your service management processes ensures that you’re designing and delivering IT services in a way that sticks to high security standards, reducing the risk of breaches or cyber-attacks. Plus, combining ITSM and cybersecurity means you can educate your end users and the wider organization on security best practices, which will make life easier for both your IT service desk and your security team in the long run.

But how do you align your ITSM with cybersecurity best practices? This blog breaks down how you can use 4 key processes in ITSM to minimize security issues:

Incident Management

Incident Management is usually the first line of defense when a security issue arises. Perhaps one of your more security-savvy end users has noticed a potential security issue and has already alerted the IT service desk. Or maybe, as is most often the case, the victim of the security issue doesn’t even know they’re a victim yet. Either way, it’s your service desk’s job to identify, log, and categorize the security incident — and then coordinate the response.

How can Incident Management help minimize security issues?

A solid Incident Management process can help you identify and respond to security incidents faster. A speedy incident response gives attackers a smaller window of opportunity to exploit a vulnerability and do even more damage.

Incident Management also helps you to prioritize your responses to incidents like cyber attacks, based on the severity and the (potential) impact, so you can deal with critical security issues first. And by using a dedicated ITSM tool for Incident Management, you can save even more time with automatic incident categorization and prioritization.

Did you know that dealing with significant security issues quickly isn’t just a cybersecurity best practice? It’s actually a requirement of the EU’s NIS2 directive. Under NIS2, organizations are required to inform relevant authorities of any major incidents as soon as possible or they could risk a penalty. So, setting up solid processes for responding to and reporting significant incidents are now a must if you want to stay compliant.

Asset Management

How does IT Asset Management (ITAM) relate to cybersecurity? The answer is simple: You can’t protect what you don’t know you have. Asset Management helps you to get a clear overview of your assets, so you can ensure they’re properly secure and compliant.

How can Asset Management help minimize security issues?

Because ITAM allows you to see all the assets your organization is working with, it also helps you to pinpoint potential security risks. Having a clear overview of your IT assets and their configurations can help you to identify outdated software or hardware that may be susceptible to common vulnerabilities. This way, you can proactively address potential weaknesses before attackers can exploit them.

As well as helping you create a detailed inventory of your assets, Asset Management can also help you manage and control your end users’ access to your assets. TOPdesk’s Asset Management software, for example, employs role-based access control, so that users can only access information and assets that are strictly relevant to their role. This prevents users from gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data and can reduce the risk of internal threats.

Change Management

A change in IT can be defined as any alteration made to the IT infrastructure — this can be as simple as installing a new printer or as complex as implementing a new piece of software. Big or small, any change comes with its own risk of security issues, so aligning your Change Management process with security best practices is crucial.

How can Change Management help minimize security issues?

Change Management involves assessing the potential risks associated with a proposed change, including potential security issues. Will a change introduce new vulnerabilities, for example? A good risk assessment as part of Change Management should help you to pinpoint any weaknesses that might be created as part of a new change, so you can put measures in place to prevent breaches down the line.

Another big part of Change Management is documenting every change — and the steps involved. This provides your service desk with a detailed audit trail, which can make it much easier for you to identify the cause of any security issues that arise after the change.

Knowledge Management

Cybersecurity isn’t just a concern for IT — it’s something your end users need to be actively thinking about, too. After all, studies show that 95% of cybersecurity breaches can be traced back to human error. This is where Knowledge Management comes in. By ensuring that security-related knowledge is shared throughout the organization, you can reduce the likelihood of one of your end users accidentally causing a breach.

How can Knowledge Management help minimize security issues?

There’s no better asset for your IT department than a security-smart end user. A well-maintained knowledge base can be used to train your customers in cybersecurity awareness and best practices.

With Knowledge Management you can:

• Share practical information about common threats
• Teach users how to recognize phishing attempts
• Provide guidance on password setting and safety

Your agents can make use of your knowledge base, too. If a security incident does occur, a comprehensive knowledge base can help IT teams to quickly find solutions and guide them through standardized procedures to deal with the breach as quickly as possible.

Strengthen your ITSM security with TOPdesk’s ITSM tool

When it comes to strengthening your cybersecurity, you want a service management tool that works with you, not against you.

TOPdesk’s ITSM software is fully aligned with ITIL and supports Incident Management, Asset Management, Change Management, and more, so aligning your security approach with these processes couldn’t be easier.

Our software easily integrates with cybersecurity tools such as monitoring software, making responding to and reporting on incidents a breeze. And with features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control, you’ll be set up to comply with cybersecurity frameworks and directives such as NIS2.