Small businesses cannot afford to ignore cybersecurity

It can be tempting for small firms to put off cybersecurity efforts. There are numerous common excuses: “I have too much to do,” “I don’t have enough budget,” “Our company is too tiny to target,” and so on. However, cybersecurity is becoming a requirement for all businesses.

Consider it similar to business insurance. You don’t want to get sued or have an accident, but you have insurance in case something goes wrong. Having cybersecurity in place is similar:

• Saves you time, money, and stress
• Safeguards your company’s IT
• Gives you and your employees peace of mind

Cyberattacks are not the only threat to small businesses. “On average, an employee of a small organization with less than 100 employees will encounter 350 percent more social engineering attacks than an employee of a larger enterprise,” according to a report issued in March 2022 by cloud security company Barracuda Networks. Small firms are three times more likely to be targeted as a result.

In reality, your company may have already been targeted. In 2021, according to the Barracuda report, one out of every five firms had at least one account compromised. Hackers only need one account to conduct attacks. If you don’t have the necessary detection and defense measures in place, an attack can propagate without you realizing it.

Small business leadership advice

Digital attacks are becoming more common, and you’ll need assistance. According to a February report from Blackberry, “one million daily security warnings are seen in 25% of security operations centers.”

But you don’t have a security operations center, let alone one capable of processing a million alarms every day, do you? Investing in cybersecurity gives you access to security reporting like this, as well as a lot more.

Small firms are targeted by hackers because they are assumed to have fewer IT resources. This could open up more opportunities for malicious actors to exploit.

At the very least, you keep your software up to date and patch any vulnerabilities with manufacturer updates, right? Antivirus and email filtering are probably also used in your company. Traditional email filters, on the other hand, are no longer sufficient: you must invest in additional security resources.

Remove the target from your back

So, we’ve returned to the beginning. You’ve decided to invest in cybersecurity, but you don’t see how you can do it right now. But you can’t really afford not to. “Australia spent around $5.6 billion on cybersecurity in 2020,” according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, “and self-reported losses from cybercrime totaled more than $33 billion.”

Plus, you won’t have to start from scratch and purchase all of the necessary software and gear. Instead, you may collaborate with a vendor to benefit from economies of scale. Invest in a cybersecurity partner that will conduct a comprehensive risk analysis to identify the major weaknesses in your company’s IT infrastructure.

Partner with someone who is dedicated to protecting small businesses just like yours. They’ll be the ones spending money on additional equipment that uses machine learning to protect against all forms of email. They’ll know how to put the necessary security measures in place, as well as how to detect and respond to threats after they’ve been delivered.

A single compromised account can be disastrous for a small firm. Don’t take chances with your cybersecurity: enlist the support of a managed service provider. We can assist you to detect any cybersecurity flaws and putting protections in place to protect your company. Call us right now at 262.912.6404 or send an email at info@powerfulitsystems.net