Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t need to constantly be up-to-speed on cybersecurity? Can’t we simply follow a checklist and get IT Security off of our To-Do list?
Unfortunately, following guidelines like having antivirus protection and sticking with routine updates, while important, are not sufficient to keep any business safe from cyberattacks. The cold hard reality is that without an updated cybersecurity plan, your business is NOT safe!
Without a Cyber Security Plan, Your Network Isn’t Safe
Cybercriminals are opportunistic. They’re constantly looking for new ways to get into your network. Every week you hear about more security breaches—many of the organizations getting attacked thought they had everything covered. That their security checklist was good enough (even though it was 5 years old). Data breaches seem like the new normal for business, but that doesn’t have to be the case!
To help keep you start thinking about your cybersecurity roadmap, I wanted to provide you with 3 key reasons why your IT Security is outdated. You simply cannot apply this year’s cybersecurity tactics to next year’s problems.
- Yesterday’s roadmap is obsolete today. The same with updating your backup recovery plan annually, you need to keep evolving your cybersecurity. Criminals are always two steps ahead. Most businesses don’t even consider the latest technology until it is well-proven. One major concern is that cybercriminals are paying attention to everything that has been developed today and are finding ways to leverage new technology and exploits to get into your data!
A plan from yesterday likely cannot predict what the big issues will be this year. Without a security plan updated and focused on tomorrow and next year, the proactive measures you’ve implemented a year or two ago are likely not going to keep you secure.
- Do you have a group of security consultants and a chief security officer to review, revise and initiate new cybersecurity initiatives?
Plain and simple, hackers are trying every trick in their playbook EVERY single day. Even if you are updating your roadmap, without expert guidance from a security team that regularly (here I mean daily!) assesses the cybersecurity landscape, identifies new exploits and vulnerabilities and determines the appropriate tactics to subvert attacks, your network may be in jeopardy.
Your security experts should guide your business. They need to identify proactive ways to alleviate network problems and ultimately circumvent attacks. Do you have smart people with the capacity and bandwidth to continually evaluate your network and identify what tactics—small and large—need to be addressed to keep your business safe? (Note: You especially need a security team if you store any sensitive data on your network—that includes SSNs, PHI, Credit Cards, Client Contacts).
- Are you able to explain a data breach to your clients?
We all hate to think of the unthinkable scenarios of having to explain a data breach to our clients. But if you don’t have a talk track that is (1) believable and (2) makes them comfortable that you are adequately handling your breach, they are going to lose faith in their relationship with you.
What might their reaction be when they find out about your data breach and you weren’t the one to notify them? What if you hadn’t even notified the appropriate authorities (this is especially important if you have ANY compliance pressures). What costs might you incur? Are you certain that you have all of your ducks in a row to explain how a breach happened and what you are doing to correct the action?
Wouldn’t you rather make sure that you’ve done everything humanly possible to avoid a breach in the first place? If you don’t have an updated proactive IT Security roadmap, how can you explain to clients that you did your due diligence protecting them?
The bottom line: if your security seems to be working this year, it might not next year. If it’s broken already and you lack solid direction, you’re business is going to be a larger target.
While many Philadelphia businesses are taking cybersecurity measures—for instance, getting security assessments to ensure their networks are safe, the ones that do nothing are going to be bigger targets.
The big question I want you to start thinking about is: Are you going to leave your network open to cyberattacks? Are you sure your data—your employee’s Social Security Numbers, your client contact information (including email addresses that hackers can definitely exploit!), your proprietary data—is safe?
Are you sure your business is doing everything it can to protect your network? Contact Us TODAY for a free network cybersecurity assessment!