Why small businesses need to take Cyber Security seriously.
There have been many “high-profile” reports just lately about cyber-attacks against well known public facing companies. Royal Mail was hit on the 10th January 2023 by a LockBit ransomware attack on its systems. And at the end of the month 10 million JD Sports customers personal data was compromised by another attack.
Lauren Wills-Dixon is a solicitor and an expert in data privacy. She said the increased use of technology by the industry “to reduce overheads and streamline operations has raised the risk even further”. “In this new world it’s not ‘if’, but ‘when’ will a cyber-attack happen.”
While the headlines focus on household names and big brands, the effect on small business can be just as catastrophic. 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses, and over 60% of those small businesses that are victims of a cyber-attack go out of business within six months.
The hackers look for easy targets when planning an attack. They believe that small businesses lack the resources to properly protect their data and networks, making them easy targets for malicious actors. Cyber security is important to any business because it helps protect sensitive data, customer information, and financial assets. It also helps protect a company’s reputation, as a cyber-attack can quickly damage the company’s reputation and trust among customers and other businesses. Additionally, cyber security can help protect the company’s intellectual property, which can be just as valuable as its financial assets.
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against the most common cyber threats. It comprises a set of basic security controls that organisations should implement to reduce the risk from common internet-based threats.
It covers five key areas of IT security: boundary firewalls and internet gateways, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and patch management.
Commstec have recently been working through the process for renewing our Cyber Essentials accreditation for 2023. We want to be able to provide a full service for our clients, helping them attract new business by having the comfort of having basic cyber security measures in place to protect data, and control the risk of attacks, or a breach of confidential information. Cyber Essentials is also becoming a requirement when bidding for public sector work.
Working remotely a user is “off-network”. This means they are more vulnerable, and the organisation lacks visibility and protection. Endpoint protection is a term used to refer to technologies used to protect an organisation’s network and devices (known as endpoints) from a variety of threats, such as malware, ransomware, and malicious websites.
Endpoint protection solutions typically include antivirus software, firewall protection, and intrusion prevention systems. Endpoint protection has become one of the key tools in the drive to protect the increasing number of remote devices that businesses now have. As remote work becomes more common, strong endpoint protection, along with the alerting functionality of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) are essential to protecting both your enterprise and the remote worker from cyber threats.
Implementing these solutions that stop you being one of the statistics is a straightforward process, and with our help and support to guide you through Cyber Essentials Certification, now is the best time to make sure you have a clear picture of your organisation’s overall cyber security level. Being able to reassure your customers that you are working to secure your IT against cyber attack is a good way to enhance your reputation as a professional, caring company..
Commstec’s unique people focused approach means we can also work together with you to provide cost-effective solutions that protect your IT systems and critical business data. Why not book a Business Technology review with us today to put a plan in place for your cyber security strategy.
