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When you think of cybersecurity, you probably think of your IT team or highly specialized Infosec professionals, not yourself as a CEO. However, the reality today is that cybersecurity absolutely has to be front and center for C-level execs, and that failure to make it your issue brings substantial risk to your organization. To set your company up for success, its best to take the attitude of full personal responsibility for your cloud security setup and operation.

Probably the biggest reason cybersecurity needs to be elevated to one of your top responsibilities is simply that, as the CEO, you call most of the shots surrounding how the business is going to operate. To lead anyone else, you have to have a crystal-clear big picture of how everything interconnects and what ramifications threats inone area haveto other areas. Additionally,its up to you to hire and oversee people who truly understand servers and cloud security and who can build a secure infrastructure and applications.

That said, virtually all businesses today are digital businesses in some sense, if that means having a website, an app, processing credit cards with point of sale readersor using the net for your social media marketing. All of these things can be potential points of entry for hackers, who happily take advantage of any vulnerability they can find. And with more people working remotely and generally enjoying a more mobile lifestyle, the risks of cloud computing are here to stay.

Put another way, the more we transition to digital, the bigger the attack surface for cyber criminals. Thats why data breaches and cyber attacks are happening withincreasing frequency. Those breaches can have a huge financial implication for your company, and its only getting more expensive. The total expense to recover from a typical ransomware attack, for instance, was $761,000 in 2020. In just a year, that cost more than doubled to an average of $1.8 million, according to a report from cybersecurity firm Sophos. The damage to your organizations reputation can be even worse and linger for years after youre back in the black.

This is why you as a CEO cannot afford to be digitally illiterate. Right from the get-go, you need to be cognizant of cloud risks, take a firm not on my watch stanceand have the perspective of security by design. For example, is your architecture designed properly? Do you have enough expert people to maintain your systems? Are you complying with current guidelines or regulations? Thats all ultimately under your purview.

Related: The Role of Shared Responsibility Model in Ensuring Data Security in Cloud Computing

One of the biggest requirements to protect your business in the digital age is to learn the language of the industry. That doesnt mean just the latest lingo. It means understanding whats trending in terms of how cloud architecture works, the pitfalls of different approachesand different types of technologies people are utilizing. And with Amazon being such a huge commercial player, it means staying on top of whats going on with Amazon Web Services, too.

Secondly, rethink your organizational structure in terms of your technology and security. In the past, it made sense to have your CISO report to your CFO. But that approach doesnt work with the line of thinking that, today, IT security is the CEOs responsibility. Switch gears and have your CISO report directly to you so its easier to stay up to date, learnand make pivots. Because security is such a large part of the organization now, it makes a lot of sense to spend that personal time with the CISO, building trust and making sure theyre keeping everything both as secure and efficient as possible.

Related: 3 Tips for Keeping Your Startup Dream Alive From a 5-Time Founder

The use of the cloud is only accelerating. So take the bull by the horns. Dont wait or expect someone else to tackle your cloud security. The more you embrace your role as a technology leader, the more competitively you can operate in a world where digital is king.

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Why CEOs Should Absolutely Concern Themselves With Cloud Security - Entrepreneur