Focus on Cybersecurity: Architecture, Engineering and Construction

The architecture, engineering and construction industries are increasingly reliant on technology and the use of online networks to share project/client data and connect to third-party supplier networks, often doing so remotely from job sites. Technology has replaced paper documents for business-critical information like project drawings, purchase orders and permitting. For construction and related companies, costly assets are no longer just heavy equipment and materials, but the technology devices that fuel their operations.

With these advances come operational efficiency, but also risk. Often overlooked across the types of organizations cyber attackers target, companies in this space are quickly becoming a lucrative target due to the value of their data and susceptible nature of business operations. Confidential and proprietary information is digitally stored and shared across projects and their supply chains, which are often small businesses with limited, if any, resources devoted to IT security.

Top Construction-Related Industry Security Challenges

eSentire: Observing Risks Within the Industry for Two Decades

We understand the unique challenges your cybersecurity team faces. For two decades, we’ve seen the dynamic nature of threats that specifically target the construction industry and their partners. Under resourced in the fight to protect their environment and users against a growing threat landscape, it’s only a matter of time until attackers find a blind spot.

Based on eSentire SOC data, the below chart shows that for every additional location, the risk of an attacker bypassing your traditional security controls over a 12-month period significantly increases.¹

Construction and related firms are not highly regulated, and since they aren’t an obvious target, there is little cybersecurity guidance out there. However, the threats exist as long as companies rely on technology and remote connectivity in order to conduct business. The construction and building business has always focused on physical security as job sites are often plagued by theft and vandalism, but failure to address cybersecurity threats can result in business disruption, unplanned costs and reputational damage if a breach occurs.

Costs of a data breach are the second highest amongst observed industries, due to the complicated nature of the way financial companies conduct business and their high value as a target to sophisticated cyberattackers. Meanwhile, cybersecurity teams continue to see rising timeframes to identify and contain security incidents.

A Comprehensive Approach to Protecting Construction-Related Companies

Whether your organization is a major construction firm, a small business home builder or a construction equipment renter, threat actors are going to capitalize on vulnerable systems and human nature. Ultimately, the difference between business protection and business disruption will come down to the speed at which you can identify and contain an attack.

At eSentire, our comprehensive approach helps organizations test, mature, measure and protect their environments from a multitude of risk factors. Our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services rapidly identify and contain threats that bypass traditional security controls. Ingesting signals from your on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments, we combine endpoint, network, log, vulnerability and cloud data to identify known and elusive threats. Averaging 20 minutes from identification to containment, we ensure attackers don’t have the time to achieve their objectives.

Our Managed Risk Programs test your existing defenses against simulated attacks, assess and measure your security posture and pave a path for resiliency that aligns to regulatory frameworks. All of these services are supported by a dedicated team focused on delivering in accordance with your organization’s unique requirements and business objectives.

eSentire Service Alignment to the Top Challenges for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Companies

Experience the eSentire Difference

Organizations all over the world trust eSentire as their last line of defense and trusted advisor against an overwhelming threat landscape. Our 92 percent client retention rate is testament to delivering on our core mission: a client’s network can never be compromised. Our specialized teams that deliver and support our services are consistently developing the latest methods that ensure your organization is protected against the latest threat actors and aligned to stringent regulatory requirements that keeps your clients, employees and systems safe from disruption.