{"id":29973,"date":"2024-10-10T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.topdesk.com\/en\/?p=29973"},"modified":"2025-03-28T13:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T13:58:09","slug":"security-issues-itsm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.topdesk.com\/en\/blog\/security-issues-itsm\/","title":{"rendered":"Security issues: how ITSM can reduce cyber threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 2024 was USD 4.88 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, with directives like NIS 2<\/a> placing even stricter cybersecurity requirements on businesses, getting on top of security issues with ITSM is more crucial than ever.<\/p>\n

How are ITSM and security related?<\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0 Although their focuses are different, cybersecurity and IT Service Management (ITSM)<\/a> are very much intertwined.<\/p>\n

Integrating security best practices<\/a> into your service management processes ensures that you\u2019re 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<\/a> 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. For a deeper dive into how IT Service Management (ITSM) plays a crucial role in strengthening cybersecurity, check out our e-book on ITSM and cybersecurity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But how do you align your ITSM with cybersecurity best practices? Here’s how you can use 4 key ITSM processes and ITSM software<\/a> to minimize security issues:<\/p>\n

Incident Management<\/h2>\n

Incident Management<\/a> 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\u2019t even know they\u2019re a victim yet. Either way, it\u2019s your service desk\u2019s job to identify, log, and categorize the security incident \u2014 and then coordinate the response.<\/p>\n

How can Incident Management help minimize security issues?<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, you can save even more time with automatic incident categorization and prioritization.<\/p>\n

Did you know that dealing with significant security issues quickly isn\u2019t just a cybersecurity best practice? It\u2019s actually a requirement of the EU\u2019s NIS 2 directive<\/a>. Under NIS 2, 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.<\/p>\n

Asset Management<\/h2>\n

How does IT Asset Management (ITAM)<\/a> relate to cybersecurity? The answer is simple: You can\u2019t protect what you don\u2019t know you have. Asset Management helps you to get a clear overview of your assets, so you can ensure they\u2019re properly secure and compliant.<\/p>\n

How can Asset Management help minimize security issues?<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As well as helping you create a detailed inventory of your assets, Asset Management can also help you manage and control your end users\u2019 access to your assets. TOPdesk\u2019s Asset Management software<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Change Management<\/h2>\n

A change in IT can be defined as any alteration made to the IT infrastructure \u2014 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<\/a> process with security best practices is crucial.<\/p>\n

How can Change Management help minimize security issues?<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Another big part of Change Management is documenting every change \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Knowledge Management<\/h2>\n

Cybersecurity isn\u2019t just a concern for IT \u2014 it\u2019s 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<\/a>. This is where Knowledge Management<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

How can Knowledge Management help minimize security issues?<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no better asset for your IT department than a security-smart end user. A well-maintained knowledge base<\/a> can be used to train your customers in cybersecurity awareness and best practices.<\/p>\n

With Knowledge Management you can:<\/p>\n