Article

Ready, Fire, Aim: The Wrong Way for Law Firms to Protect Their Data

October 11, 2023

The Way the Military Does It: Ready, Aim, Fire

So why are we hearing from so many proponents of the “Ready, Fire, Aim” contingent? As far as we can determine, the theory is that getting something done is better than taking time to think it through and devising a comprehensive plan.

As applied to cybersecurity, “Ready, fire, aim” makes very little sense – and it can actively be dangerous! Of all the many problems law firms must deal with, one of the most critical is protecting confidential data. That requires time, input from a number of people – and hopefully the outcome is a plan which encompasses all the current recommended actions for securing your data.

Not thinking things through makes no sense. And yet, there seems to be a proclivity to take action of some kind. We discourage this approach entirely. In an emergency, it is possible that you may need to take actions to protect data immediately. But in most cases, law firms have time enough to work through the complications of cybersecurity in an organized manner. Yet again, another reason to make sure you have an Incident Response Plan (IRP) to guide your actions.

Read the entire article here.