Throughout the pandemic, small and medium-sized businesses have discovered just how important strong cybersecurity can be. Unfortunately, in recent months, even large, well-protected companies with top cybersecurity infrastructure have suffered hacks, DDoS attacks, and ransomware attacks. But these can only slip through if a breach exists in a firm’s cybersecurity infrastructure. In this short article, we’ll look at how you can build your own firm’s peace of mind, investing wisely in the measures that’ll protect your firm from hacks and attacks.
Employee Education
The rise of the “bring your own device” culture throughout the business world – helped along by increasing work from home practices – means that your employees and their devices represent distinct new cybersecurity risks. That’s because a careless employee can open a nefarious email or click a malicious link that can infect and bring down much of your digital infrastructure.
There are two ways to reduce the threat of your employees accidentally participating in the infection of your servers or the attacking of your digital infrastructure. First, you can educate them about common cyber risks and how to avoid them. And you can make sure that they’re using their devices responsibly inside and outside of work. If they’re not, it may be worth buying them a company laptop on which you can place strong cybersecurity software.
New Software
There are hundreds of cybersecurity programs out there that claim to make your company safe from the kinds of attacks that can be financially crippling for businesses. But the truth is that these are not all equal: some are far more effective than others. If you’re conscious that your business needs better security in the post-pandemic world, finding the right software will be paramount to mitigating SME threats.
When you’re searching for the right package, look out for holistic and complete protection. The business network security by Allot, for example, takes account of not just computers but also mobile devices – perfect for firms that operate with many phones or which are themselves communication service providers (CSPs). The right security software is crucial for keeping your firm safe.
New Threats
Alongside your new software should be a recognition that threats are evolving. For example, ransomware attacks are now a daily occurrence in the US, regularly crippling businesses for weeks on end. In addition, large-scale cyberattacks have recently been taking place against large servers and software firms, which can impact their clients.
All of this is to say that the threats of yesteryear – like malware attacks, for instance – are growing less common, while phishing attacks and other hacks have skyrocketed since the advent of the pandemic. Your security needs to register these new threats and prepare your protections so that your firm doesn’t suffer the negative consequences of being ignorant and unprepared. Software and education will help here – but so too will consultation with cybersecurity experts who can spot where your digital infrastructure is vulnerable to new threats. Use these tips to better protect your SME from hacks in the coming months, ensuring you’re not going to fall foul of disruptive and costly attacks.
