Useful Information
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Smarter Cyber Security
It feels like every other month a new company hits the headlines after falling victim to a cyber attack or a data breach. Their cyber security solutions aren’t strong enough and, as a result, their data has been compromised. Customers and service users heave a collective sigh as the data breach warning email pops up in their inbox. Passwords need to be changed, in severe cases bank details are rendered insecure, and email addresses may have been shared. More junk mail being received from made up distant relatives offering billions of dollars in exchange for your immortal soul and your identity. The damage is done and there’s nothing they can do but hope for the best. At least some of the scam emails might be funny.
The reality is that cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Most businesses don’t only suffer loss in terms of customer confidence and reputation. They can lose product data and, particularly for those in the financial sector, money and accounts can be taken. According to Ponemon Institute’s State of Cybersecurity report, 66% of small to medium-sized enterprises have experienced a cyber attack in the last year. 45% say that their detection and response systems are not good enough to mitigate the effects of cyber threats and 69% agree that these security threats are becoming more and more targeted.
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How can cyber security services help?
As the world transitions to digital working environments in the wake of the pandemic, the threat landscape broadens and cybercrime increases. Antivirus systems and robust data protection measures have become cyber essentials for business continuity – especially for companies operating using cloud based systems. Cyber security services are the measures put in place to defend a company’s electronic data from hacking and unauthorised use. With new methods popping up every day, it’s impossible to avoid cyber threats. Effective cyber security solutions can mean the difference between throwing a spanner in the works and throwing in the whole toolbox.
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What do cyber security solutions protect against?
Viruses and malware
Attackers install these programmes onto a system to compromise data. This could lead to a data loss or a data breach. Ransomware techniques use malware to encrypt your ability to access your data, charging you a virtual ‘ransom’ to reinstate this.
Phishing emails
These are prevalent in larger corporations. Phishing emails can ask workers to confirm their login credentials. Clicking on this link will take them to a website that harvests their information. Catch our blog on internet and email filtering (MaaS) to see how we can help you to fish out the phishes.
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks
DDoS attacks will overload a business network with site traffic or requests. This slows the system while a cyber attack takes place.
An antivirus programme is not enough to prevent these kinds of attacks. At the same time, traditional firewall systems are becoming easier for criminals to work around. As cyber criminals upgrade their techniques, businesses need to build up their digital defences.
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Fortify your company’s data
There are several options when it comes to safeguarding your system. We’ve provided our top tips and tricks for small businesses here and the three main approaches can be summarised as follows:
The DIY Approach
Most large corporations will have their own IT departments made up of tech wizards. These teams are responsible for maintaining business continuity and preventing security breaches. In-house teams approach cyber security from a knowledgeable perspective. They know how the business operates but for most small and medium-sized enterprises, an in-house IT department isn’t financially feasible.
Software as a Service (SaaS) Security
Cloud based solutions are becoming increasingly prevalent. Businesses can obtain a SaaS subscription for a regular fee to obtain cyber security systems via the cloud. The system provider works in the background to improve their services, combatting developments in the threat landscape while you get on with your work.
Outsourcing Cyber Security
Here, a trained team of specialists is outsourced to act as your own personal team of IT geniuses. No salaries, no office space needed, and no need to stock up on tea and coffee. They work externally to manage your company’s internal systems. We recommend going for a company that has been properly accredited to governmental cyber security standards. Venom IT holds a host of shiny certificates so, of course, what we really recommend is going with us.
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When to implement cyber security solutions.
Now. Immediately. What are you waiting for? Cost is usually the real decider for most managers and decision-makers. It’s hard to measure the efficacy of cyber security solutions when the absence of the data signifies a good system.
As a result of this, lack of Return on Investment (ROI) data can often lead businesses to put off implementing appropriate security measures. Sadly, for this reason, many companies allow the castles protecting their data to fall into ruin. They expect the antivirus software that they bought five years ago to still hold up the fort, as well as underestimating how quickly and insidiously malware, phishing and DDoS attacks have developed in recent years.
They wonder why they didn’t think to build their walls higher as the cyber criminals show up with their ladders and upgraded weaponry. We’re talking ‘Battle of Minas’ Tirith-style in The Lord of the Rings. Businesses make changes in response to a significant breach but by then, the damage has already been done. If only they’d had cyber security measures in place, or even disaster recovery software (DRaaS) to back everything up.
If you’re waiting for a sign to take action to safeguard your data, then this is it. As always, our team is on hand to answer any further questions you may have.
On cyber security services, data protection, cyber security risk assessments, or even Lord of the Rings trivia. Whatever you like. Drop us a message at sales@venomit.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
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