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It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so let’s dive into why cybersecurity is crucial for your business!! It may sound like something only big corporations need to worry about, but that’s not the case! It’s more crucial now than ever for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs)!
Imagine you wake up one morning, grab your coffee, and find out that your business’s data has been stolen. Customer information, financial records, and all your data is in the hands of cybercriminals. To make it worse, you’re being blackmailed by the hacker to expose the data and contact your customers to destroy your brand. Considering 83% of SMB’s are not prepared to recover from a cyberattack1, most business owners are not prepared to face such an incident. That’s why cybersecurity is so important. It protects your sensitive data, keeps your customers’ trust intact, and ensures your business keeps running smoothly.
Most people think…”My business is too small to be a target”, which couldn’t be further from the truth. According to a Verizon Report, 46% of all cyber breaches impacted small businesses2 and it continues to grow. Unfortunately, 60% of small businesses close within 6 months of a cyberattack4. Cybercriminals see SMBs as low hanging fruit because they often don’t have the same level of security as big companies.
What kind of threats does Cybersecurity protect you from? Everyone has received a sneaky phishing email, that you probably clicked on. Then there’s ransomware, which locks up your data and demands a ransom to release it. And let’s not forget about malware and insider threats. There is always known vulnerability exploitation, which is on the rise3. Cybersecurity is a broad term and includes many of layers of security. It covers a lot and can protect you from all these threats and more!
Cybersecurity is not something you just turn on. It is a strategy every business should commit to and should be part of your culture. There are some things you can start doing today to protect your business. For instance, start by using multi-factor authentication (MFA) for extra security. Keep your software updated to fix any vulnerabilities. Educate your employees about the importance of cybersecurity.
As you look at your security, you can improve your security posture by investing in some strong tools like antivirus software, endpoint detection and response software, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. As a long-term strategy, consider how you protect your data in transit and at rest, your security policies, management of your users’ access, your backup and recovery programs, ongoing risk assessment (since they are ever changing), and your incident response plans.
The first step of cybersecurity is awareness! Keep in mind, cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue; it’s a business issue. Everyone in your organization needs to be on board to keep your business safe and sound.
To learn more, speak to an expert today or Read Top 10 Cybersecurity Best Practices for IT Professionals.
References
- https://www.ninjaone.com/blog/smb-cybersecurity-statistics/
- https://www.strongdm.com/blog/small-business-cyber-security-statistics
- Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report” verizon.com/dbir
- Ciscos and National Cyber Security Alliance
- https://smallbiztrends.com/cyber-attacks-target-small-business/
