Can You Use VR to Improve Business Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is a fast-moving field. Staying at the forefront often means capitalizing on the latest technologies, and some unexpected pieces of tech can provide a valuable edge. Virtual reality (VR) is one such innovation.

While VR is most popular as a form of entertainment, it has notable business implications, too. Acting on this potential could help you fill the gaps in your security posture.

How VR Can Improve Cybersecurity

VR addresses two crucial parts of reliable cybersecurity — training and teamwork. When you improve these areas, your overall security benefits.

Immersive Training

A whopping 74% of all data breaches involve the human element. That means a little training can go a long way, as mistakes and misuse are common causes of cybersecurity incidents. VR can help by offering more engaging training sessions for security pros and non-expert employees.

Educational institutions already use VR to provide immersive learning experiences, and enterprises can benefit from the same concept. Putting users in an interactive digital world makes learning exciting and often easier to understand. Consequently, security training scenarios in VR may be more effective than conventional options like seminars and written tests, which workers may find dull, causing them not to pay attention.

Remote Collaboration

VR is also a handy collaborative tool for teams working in different offices. Many organizations face a security talent shortage — the world could be short 85 million cybersecurity workers by 2030. Remote work has emerged as a potential solution, making it easier to hire expert IT pros, but physical distance can still impose challenges.

Communication and collaboration are essential when responding to a security incident, but this is hard in a remote environment. VR can bridge the gap, putting remote co-workers in the same virtual space. They can then work as if they were in the same room, ensuring they’re as efficient and effective as possible despite the distance.

Best Practices for Implementing VR in Cybersecurity

Like any technology, VR takes proper usage to reach its full potential. Here are some best practices to follow if you want to make the most of VR in cybersecurity.

1. Identify Relevant Use Cases

The first step in successful VR implementation is recognizing where it will help you the most. Some headsets can cost as much as $3,500, and cheaper ones may still be expensive after buying enough for the whole team. Consequently, you’ll want to start by using VR where it’ll have the biggest impact, ensuring a better return on investment.

Training is often the most impactful use case, but you can get more granular than that. Look for which departments or teams produce the most security errors. Buying enough headsets just for that group to train with could be a good start. Alternatively, you can invest in fewer but higher-end headsets for your IT team if remote collaboration is a bigger concern.

2. Partner With Reliable, Secure Vendors

Once you know where you’ll use VR, you can determine which hardware and software are most relevant to your goals. Be sure to source this technology from a trustworthy vendor. Software supply chain attacks could affect 45% of all brands before long, so it’s important not to take any chances.

Only use headsets and VR software with a strong record of updates and security patches. Avoid working with any company with a history of beaches or that can’t prove its reliability. Any vulnerabilities on their end will affect you once you start using their technology, so it’s best to minimize these from the start.

3. Measure Results

As beneficial as VR can be, it’s also costly and can be complicated. Consequently, you should keep a close eye on your investments to make sure you’re getting all you can out of them. The only reliable way to do so is to measure your performance before, during and after VR implementation.

Start by tracking a key performance indicator (KPI) relevant to your goal before you install a VR system. You could measure the number of errors employees make or score their performance in a breach simulation. Then, after introducing the VR system, test the same KPI again.

Continue to do so until a trend is evident. Adjust your strategy if KPIs fall, and consider how to expand it if your performance increases.

4. Don’t Overlook Other Protections

Finally, you must recognize that VR is not a complete security solution. Attacks can come from anywhere today, so there’s no single fix to all threats. Don’t let VR’s benefits distract you from other protections like updated anti-malware systems, network monitoring and good data governance.

VR should complement your other cybersecurity measures, not replace them. When you use everything together, you can stay as safe as possible.

VR Can Be a Valuable Cybersecurity Tool

Virtual reality and cybersecurity are two of the largest tech trends today, but they have more in common than just that. You can use one to improve the other, and considering how cybercrime is rising, it’s a good idea to take advantage of all you can. Learning to integrate VR into your security strategy today could promote better protection