The playoffs are here. And our local team, the Carolina Panthers made it! Lots of celebrating in the Carolinas. So, why is your “IT Guy” talking about football? It is because your business network has a lot in common with a football team.
In football, winning doesn’t just come from having a star quarterback. It comes from having a solid line, a playbook everyone understands, and players who know their roles. Cybersecurity works the same way — there’s no single tool, no one piece of software, and certainly no “Hail Mary” solution that protects everything. It takes coordination. Communication. And yes, practice.
Let’s break it down.
1. Your Firewall is the Offensive Line
A football team without an offensive line is a quarterback with a very short life expectancy.
Your firewall is the same way.
It’s the first layer of protection.
Its only job: block anything that doesn’t belong.
But just like linemen, firewalls need:
- Updated playbooks (rules)
- Awareness of nre threats (defensive reads)
- Regular coaching (monitoring & tuning)
If your firewall is 6 years old and running the same rules from 2019, it’s basically a lineman who hasn’t watched game film since the bowl season.
2. Endpoints Are Your Wide Receivers
Endpoints — your laptops, desktops, phones — are where big plays happen.
But wide receivers can sometimes run the wrong route.
Click the wrong link.
Open the wrong attachment.
Visit the wrong website.
That’s why Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) is crucial.
It’s your instant replay review system — it doesn’t just block, it watches what happened and responds fast when something is off.
Without EDR, one employee clicking a phishing link is like a receiver cutting across the field and taking out their own quarterback.
3. Passwords = Playbook Security
Imagine your team’s entire playbook… sitting on the opposing team’s bench.
That’s what weak passwords do.
If your password is still some variation of:
- Your dog’s name
- Your kid’s birth year
- “Password123”
- Or my favorite #KeepPounding or GoPanthers
…you’ve basically emailed your playbook to the other sideline. Use:
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Password Managers
- Strong Passphrases (think: short sentence you can remember)
Defense reading your signals is how games — and networks — are lost.
4. Backups Are Special Teams
No one thinks about special teams until something goes wrong.
Blocked punt.
Missed field goal.
Sudden data loss.
A great backup/recovery system won’t win the game for you…
but a bad one will definitely lose it.
Make sure your backups are:
- Automated
- Tested (actually restored, not just assumed to work)
- Offsite or immutable
Because when ransomware hits, you’re not calling your quarterback — you’re calling your kicker.
5. Training = Practice
A team that doesn’t practice doesn’t win.
And a company that doesn’t train employees on phishing, secure habits, and best practices is begging for turnovers.
Don’t just send a memo.
Do:
- Quarterly phishing simulations
- Short, engaging training
- Team discussions
Your staff is your defense.
They need to know the plays.
The Bottom Line
Cybersecurity isn’t about fear. It’s about strategy, teamwork, and staying ready.
Attackers don’t care who you are, who you voted for, what size your company is, or what industry you’re in.
They’re scanning, watching, and waiting for an easy gap in the coverage.
If your business wants to stay in the game (and out of the headlines), you need:
- A strong line (firewall)
- Smart receivers (protected endpoints)
- Secured playbooks (password + MFA)
- Reliable special teams (tested backups)
- And trained players who know the plan (security awareness)
You don’t win games by accident. You win them by preparation.
