There has been an overwhelming increase in cyber-attacks on small businesses even from last year. According to Cybersecurity Magazine, an astonishing 61% of small businesses reported being victimized by a cyber-attack in the past year.
What’s even more surprising is that even with these shocking numbers only a tiny fraction of small and medium-sized businesses are taking their cyber-security seriously. At an average cost of $20,752 per attack, this could seriously cripple or completely devastate your business.
Who Needs a Cybersecurity Expert?
In a recent cyber-claims study by Netdiligence, small business professional’s including construction, architectural firms, and retail establishments are one of the most vulnerable sectors for cyber-attacks. Some unfortunate businesses don’t even know they’ve been hacked.
Healthcare services are one of the primary targets of these unscrupulous cyber-criminals. Your data could be held for ransom, or in other cases used for nefarious purposes on another cyber-attack elsewhere.
Types of Cyber-Threats to be Aware Of
Cyber-threats come in different forms so when 83% of small and medium-sized businesses are not financially solvent enough to ride the storm of a cyber-attack and recover, you need to be aware of some of the different types of threats and what a managed service provider can do to help you avoid them.
- Social Engineering Attacks. 98% of cyber-crime is engineered through social contact.
- Ransomware
- Denial of Service (DoS)
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
- SQL Injections
- Zero-day Exploits
- Password Attack
- Cross-site Scripting
- Rootkits
- Internet-of-Things (IoT) Attacks
Each of these types of attacks underlines why businesses need a professionally managed service provider to provide cybersecurity so that your business isn’t crippled by cyber-criminals.
Prevention is the Cure
Most cyber-attacks can be prevented through concentrated and thorough management. While it may feel tempting to try and do it all yourself, there are many IT services and methods that can only be done properly by using a cybersecurity expert.
Some of the things a cybersecurity expert can do for your business consist of the following:
- Monitoring all systems, software, and security patches to keep them up-to-date
- Installing firewalls to protect your systems from unauthorized entry
- Testing your systems for weaknesses and vulnerabilities
- Regularly updating high-quality antivirus software
- Controlling and assigning user access and privilege settings
- Maintaining a constant backup of your systems
- Proactively watching for system breaches by using a managed service provider
- Educating your employees on safe cybersecurity practices
The list goes on and on. Many businesses try to accomplish as much as they can independently, but at the end of the day, the only way to receive all of these services and maintain business continuity is to hire a cybersecurity expert.
Keeping Up with Federal IT Compliance
On top of all of the cyber threats facing businesses, the laws for federal mandates are continually changing and it’s difficult to keep up. The IT compliance mandates for the security of personal information can be especially troublesome.
If you’re in a field without a strong technical background. Doctors, administrative staff, realtors, construction managers should be focusing on the jobs that they have expertise in. It can be very time-consuming to read, understand, and apply all the compliance regulations without a little help.
Some of the compliance regulations that require specific technology standards include:
- HIPAA: Governs the privacy of an individual’s personal information in regards to healthcare. This involves any type of business or organization that deals with any type of healthcare information.
- PCI-DSS: This is a set of twelve regulations governing the use of credit card information in an effort to reduce fraud especially during a transaction. Any business using debit or credit cards is subject to compliance.
- GDPR: Effects the management of personal data. Companies that gather any sort of personal information about their clients or customers must ensure that they and any third parties ensure data is obtained only after the client or customer has “opted-in” and must regularly monitor their privacy compliance systems.
- FISMA: This act made information security a part of our national security. Federal agencies are required to take steps to protect their information.
- FERPA: Protects a student’s rights to privacy of their personal information from the time they enter a school setting. Rights will transfer to the student once the student turns 18 and enters a university or college.
Ensuring your business is compliant in these areas can help you avoid serious fines. These regulations are there for the safety and comfort of not only your business but your customer’s security as well.
It’s a pretty hefty responsibility to ensure your customer’s well-being as well. IT compliance isn’t the simplest thing in the world, so a cybersecurity expert can help alleviate this stress by getting your business ready to be certified.
The Bottom Line
The demand for cybersecurity experts has never been higher, but many business owners feel helpless and don’t know where to start.
No matter the industry, cybersecurity experts can make business operations move smoothly in a world of compliance mandates and ongoing cyber threats. To learn more about how IT service experts can help your business’s unique cybersecurity needs, contact Tolar Systems today for a free consultation.
