As Business Risks Change, So Too Must Our Cybersecurity

As the technology we use in business and in life has advanced, the threats that target it have done the same and then some. Let’s take a few minutes to discuss these threats and what you need to do to protect yourself.

Modern Technologies Have Introduced More Risks than Ever

While the technologies we see today—things like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things or IoT, and cloud services—have enabled businesses to accomplish more than ever before, they have also enabled cybercriminals to innovate new means of attack. Automation is great for speeding up your business processes and eliminating human error, but it also makes phishing and other attack vectors a lot easier for cybercriminals to utilize.

Naturally, this advancement in cybercrime necessitates a more aggressive cybersecurity stance from today’s businesses.

Three Crucial Questions Businesses Need to Answer

Let’s break down the initial questions that every organization needs to consider about their cybersecurity:

1. Are the security measures we have in place now enough to protect us from developing threats and risks?
2. Are we putting sufficient time into training our employees to be a security asset, rather than a source of vulnerability?
3. Are we preparing ourselves for the threats that will develop thanks to emerging platforms and new technologies?

What Else Businesses Need to Do (and Why)

Let’s discuss how some developing threats can impact your business, and what you need to do to prevent this outcome.

Malware is Harder to Spot, So Businesses Need to Look Smarter

While there are obviously still exceptions to this rule, malware is being developed to be less and less visible by better mimicking legitimate user behavior or otherwise hiding its actions. To counter this, businesses have a variety of options to consider, from automated security solutions to heightened security awareness amongst the team (more on this in a moment).

Digital Technologies Have Added More Attack Surfaces to Protect

With more business processes incorporating technology than ever before, businesses that use this technology can enjoy greater benefits, but at the cost of increasing their vulnerability footprint. Businesses should respond to this in a few different ways, both by adjusting their current risk management activities to cover those risks introduced by new technologies, while also streamlining the technologies they use to make their IT less complex.

Awareness is Lacking at Upper Levels of Business, Which Needs to Be Remedied

Generally speaking, it isn’t the bigwigs at a company who are dealing with security issues and risk management—it’s much more likely to be handled by their IT team or an outsourced service provider. This isn’t ideal, as cyberattacks can target any level of a business and it’s hard to come up with a better target than the owner/president/CEO/what have you. By creating a company culture with security awareness as its foundation, you put your business in a much more secure position.

We’re Here to Help Keep Your Business Secure

As a managed IT service provider, a big part of our job is to help keep your business and its data protected against all varieties of cyberattacks that we can. In addition to a few of the methods we touched on above, we ensure our clients can focus on their business’ operations by running interference for as many cyberthreats as possible, deploying reliable and effective defenses.

To discuss how we’d approach your business and its cybersecurity, give us a call at (509) 534-1530.