Cyberthreats are everywhere. They assault our email boxes and quietly try to infiltrate our smartphones, servers and wireless networks.
For businesses, cybersecurity is essential. Yet cybersecurity cannot exclusively be the responsibility of the IT staff. Cybersecurity needs to permeate your business with technical security, awareness and education.
Consider the scope of cyberattacks in the United States. According to research by the Identity Theft Research Center, data breaches increased in the first quarter of 2022, marking the third straight year of increased attacks.
In addition, in the center’s 2021 Annual Data Breach Report, there were increasingly complex and sophisticated attacks in 2021, resulting in a record-setting level of data breaches. The 2022 first-quarter analysis also found that:
- Ransomware and phishing attacks were the most common vectors for data breaches.
- System and human errors accounted for 8 percent of attacks.
- 154 of 367 reported data breaches did not list a cause, meaning organizations are not being as transparent with their customers and the public when sharing information about cyberattacks.
- Financial services, health care, manufacturing and utilities are the most compromised sectors so far this year.
The challenge for companies is to develop a comprehensive, integrated cyberdefense strategy. That’s why many businesses turn to a trusted managed IT services provider to assess existing defenses, recommend a new approach, and implement and monitor.
Why Your Company Needs a Comprehensive Cyberdefense Strategy
Cyberdefense needs to permeate each area of your business, with automated controls and awareness training to ensure that everything and everyone remains protected. Here are some of the core reasons your business needs cybersecurity tools and systems.
Reduce the Likelihood of a Successful Data or System Breach
Each business has its unique risk factors. Understanding these risks requires a comprehensive assessment to identify potential vulnerabilities. The assessment can inform recommended strategies to mitigate risk.
In addition to systems and education, companies need to assess incidents, usually with a trusted managed services provider (MSP). The company should also create a breach response to address potential threats, potential attacks and possible remedies if a breach occurs.
Ensure Employees Do Not Fall for Scams
Phishing scams are increasingly common and, unfortunately, effective approaches to compromising systems and data. Phishing campaigns primarily use email and text messages to compel employees to open a document or visit a website.
These messages are often disguised as ordinary business correspondence, sometimes coming from a sender that looks like a company leader, partner or government agency. When an employee clicks through or opens the attachment, the hackers can deploy malware that allows them to access systems.
To prevent these measures, companies should regularly hold training sessions to show them the tricks that hackers use to gain access and provide tools that inform how to prevent attacks.
Maintain Regulatory Compliance
Today, businesses face increasing regulatory mandates from agencies at the regional, federal and state levels. Different entities have different guidelines and requirements for companies to remain in compliance.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about data privacy, and employees are, too. Using a trusted MSP to ensure your business complies is critical. Compliance mechanisms, particularly tracking and reporting tools, are essential to ensure your business does not incur costly penalties for failing to comply.
Develop a Culture of Awareness
In too many companies, cybersecurity is considered an IT issue. However, given how many employees have access to systems, data and devices, cybersecurity needs to be everyone’s business. Cybersecurity assessments and training can develop a culture of responsibility and awareness.
Either intentionally or unintentionally, employees are often at the root of a successful cyberattack. Engaging them as stakeholders in protecting data helps develop a new culture where everyone remains vigilant and aware of the potential damage of a cyberattack.
Protect Your Company’s Finances
There are considerable costs, financial and otherwise, from a cyberattack. First, there are the financial costs to find, assess and remedy a cyberattack. That means the costs of bringing systems back online, identifying what data were stolen, and paying ransoms, if applicable, to restore access.
What happens if your business is offline for some time after a cyberattack? Your business may lose customers to competitors. If hackers steal data, you’ll need to notify affected customers and employees and, perhaps, pay for monitoring services. You may also face lawsuits from those affected.
Your employees will also lose productivity and time. If there are regulatory considerations, you may face fines and penalties.
There’s also the damage to your reputation. The intangible costs – from consumer reluctance to the loss of existing and potential customers – can cripple some companies.
How To Protect Against Cyberattacks
How can your company best protect itself? At Reliable Denver cybersecurity Services, we help companies of all sizes in all industries to identify potential threats and protect their valuable company property.
A comprehensive cybersecurity plan should include the following:
- System and Network Monitoring. Choose an MSP like Reliable IT that provides 24/7 monitoring services. These services can detect, isolate, neutralize and destroy threats before they can damage your data or systems.
- Backup Services. Create a systemized data backup strategy to ensure your information remains accessible and protected. In the case of an attack, you can recover data quickly and as completely as possible.
- Disaster Recovery. At Reliable IT, we help customers develop comprehensive disaster recovery plans. These procedures ensure that you can regain control and use systems and data critical for business continuity in the case of a natural disaster or cyberattack.
- Help-Desk Support and Infrastructure Management. Staff need resources if they see a potential attack vector or are unsure of what to do with an email or text. Reliable MSP services ensure that applications and hardware are up to date and protected by anti-malware and anti-spam tools.
To learn more about how Reliable IT can protect your business, contact us today.