Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must be more cautious than larger companies when it comes to security.
It’s a common misconception in the IT industry that cybersecurity training and awareness are only necessary for larger businesses and organizations, purely because they have more to lose in data and financials, over smaller companies. This is not true.
As a small-medium enterprise, you’re an ideal target for hackers because most SMEs don’t defend themselves as well as they should because they “don’t need to.” Larger companies put more money into cyber security because they have more data to safeguard and more resources to do so. This includes educating employees and securing a variety of assets in their network.
Being a start-up / small business means you’ll most likely have limited knowledge and a budget towards cybersecurity, with finances not primarily allocated towards cybersecurity tools like malware and virus protection, or backup systems like servers or the cloud.
This is a cybercriminal’s dream target. With any company, the first priority needs to be security for your business. Whether physical security like CCTV or for your networks and computers, like virus protection, or other cybersecurity tools – the business needs a base to stand on.
Lack of experience and training in cybersecurity
Cybersecurity not having a large focus or a secure budget in the company
Security updates not regularly checked, and updated
Not having a dedicated internal or external IT Team
Confusion on how security laws work
Knowing what protects what in your business is important, for yourself, your staff, and your customers. Being protected means your clients’ data is not in danger.
It’s just as crucial to train your team to recognize the harm that viruses or malware may do to your company’s brand, finances, and clients as it is to become cyber secure.
Hackers take advantage of a variety of methods, such as human error or clicking on the wrong link, therefore it’s critical to discuss the business’s repercussions with employees in an interactive learning environment.
Assume your employees don’t know everything and provide them with an opportunity to engage more about cybersecurity.
If your website, telephone line, or other communication lines are down – how are new clients or existing customers going to get in contact with you?
Hackers can take down your website/services for a long time, demanding a large ransom to enable you to get back online. The National Cyber Security Centre and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) both recommend that companies don’t pay the ransom.
“Paying a ransom in response to ransomware does not guarantee a successful outcome, will not protect networks from future attacks, nor will it prevent the possibility of future data leaks. In fact, paying a ransom is likely to encourage criminality to continue to use this approach.”
This is because 1) it’s expensive and untraceable and 2) the untrustworthy of if they activate your services after payment, and if they release any data afterward.
Law enforcement also asks, what’s stopping them from hacking again? Make sure you are protected in the first place to avoid any financial and reputation problems, or any data leaks.
As above, not paying the premium price for cybersecurity in the first place, can cost a lot more down the line if you do get hacked.
There’s no reason to endanger the business, risking your company’s brand and reputation, when you could’ve avoided any issues by investing in good cybersecurity!
It’s cheaper to outsource your cybersecurity to an external company, which knows more about cybersecurity and would be harder to hack as they are external to your network. If anything happens to your business, they can immediately see it before it happens and fix the problem with a solution.
Clients and partners will notice that you care about their safety and data security as well as your own company’s resources if you have cybersecurity. This is a great marketing tool that shows your company’s dedication to cybersecurity while keeping you safe.
Establishing a report of client trust can help you improve your company’s image and reputation for following consumer privacy rules.
Being transparent about how you use client data is also a major plus when it comes to building trust and combating cybercrime.
In addition to the obvious reduction in security threats, cybersecurity offers a variety of benefits for corporate productivity.
Cybersecurity provides a safety net in case of a breach. Having data recovery tools and a backup in place will give you peace of mind in any case of a breach. With easy access, if a cyber attack does happen, you can recover all systems, and be back up and running in no time, without losing the confidence of your customers and employees.
No matter how big or small your company is, you’ll need cybersecurity to stay safe, protect your brand, and keep your customers trusting you.
There is always a new tool in cybersecurity to assist defend your business, so it can be intimidating at first – but after you are informed on the subject, you will feel comfortable using it to protect your business. Investing in your employees is an investment in your company.
System Force I.T. is dedicated to assisting clients and developing custom solutions. We don’t just pick any product; we customize it to ensure that your business works efficiently.
System Force IT provides 24/7 IT support and engineering help with all our services. Our IT infrastructure management team are responsible for the backbone of your business. Monitoring and maintaining both physical and virtual services in real-time.