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Every day, there are estimated to be over 1,200 cyberattacks that are unleashed on businesses and the public. Modern technology has become increasingly based online, with businesses operating from the cloud and individuals accessing the internet from their smartphones. There are now literally billions of tech devices that connect to the internet, and these can be accessed by cybercriminals if they’re not adequately secured.
Businesses now recognize that cybercrime is one of the biggest risks to their ongoing operations, and that a successful cyberattack can cost firms upward of hundreds of thousands of dollars to recover from. Along with the financial cost of cybercrime, there’s also the loss of business reputation and damage to the corporate brand after an attack.
In short, it’s vital that all businesses, regardless of their size or sector of operations, take steps to protect themselves from the malicious acts of cyber criminals. In this article, two key ways to protect your business from cybercrime will be discussed.
1. Use specialist providers
As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated in nature and execution, there’s a need for all businesses to have robust systems in place to protect their digital IT infrastructure. If you’re a smaller company, you may not have a dedicated and highly skilled team in this field of work.
In many cases, companies across all sectors look to secure the help of third-party cyber security specialist firms. These companies may specialize in Cybersecurity and Operational Technology that can help to secure your digital assets, protecting them from unauthorized access. Such firms may be able to set up online systems that can monitor and log online activities and access requests to your cloud-based services and other online applications.
It’s important to note that skilled cybersecurity professionals command high salaries. The typical salary of a cybersecurity manager is $130,000 per annum although, it may be more depending on their sector of work and level of expertise. Put simply, it may be more cost-effective to hire specialist providers to install, manage, and monitor your digital assets rather than employing a whole team that commands high salaries. This will still ensure that your company has access to highly skilled specialists who can secure your IT infrastructure effectively.
2. Password management software
It’s estimated that up to one in five staff members may be using weak passwords that are easy to guess or crack by cybercriminals. This can represent a significant risk to any company that has online operations as hackers can use weak passwords as a point of entry into corporate systems.
Once they’ve gained access to online IT and applications, they can release various forms of malware, corrupt systems, or hijack sensitive information (such as customer payment details), by releasing ransomware and forcing companies to pay for the recovery of such data.
Thankfully, an easy solution to a weak password can be found in password management software. These applications create extremely complex and strong passwords that are securely stored and don’t need to be remembered or written down by the employee. Many of them feature industry-leading levels of encryption technology to ensure that even if passwords were intercepted, they couldn’t be read and used by the cybercriminal.
