Why Cyber Security Is a Business Risk, Not Just an IT Problem

When you think of ‘cybersecurity’, many of us automatically think of the business’s IT department, slaving away in hoodies in front of their laptops, processing code, putting up firewalls and scanning for viruses.

While this is part of their jobs, modern technology and the cyber threats that exist mean that overall cybersecurity isn’t just exclusive to your IT department, but rather every individual in your entire business.

To keep you in the know, here’s a quick guide to the current status of cybersecurity and how it affects your business.

A Digitalized World

As technology has taken off around the world and become more and more accessible to businesses, it’s been implemented. In fact, consider right now how much of your business relies on technology, whether that’s emails to partners and customers, managing your social media pages, processing your payments, both from your customers and to pay your employees.

The list goes on and on.

“One study conducted by Telstra revealed that around 59% of Asian organisations experience a ‘business-interrupting’ security breach at least once a month. These figures are shocking, and it’s enough to send you into a panic, switching off all your devices and hiding under your desk” shares Mike Snelling, a security reporter for Academadvisor.

A New Wave of Hacking

While the technology that we’re using is not the same as it’s ever been, it’s important to remember that neither is the reasons for hacking. While some hackers may attack servers just for fun, others can be attacking you in the form of industrial espionage, paid for by your competitors.

If you’re partnered with a business that some people deem immoral, you can also find yourself the victim of an attack.

Anna Winter, a security consultant working for UK Writings, details, “Whatever the reason is for a hacker to try and get into your system, there are many simple things you can do to protect yourself, such as using complex passwords (changed regularly) and using anti-virus and firewall applications”.

Every Employee is Responsible

Unfortunately, the days are gone where your main threat could be a DDoS attack or a worm infiltrating your networks thanks to a hacker sitting in their bedroom who just got a bit bored.

Darren Codling, a security expert for Academized, explains, “Consider how many devices are connected to your main network. This could be all the computers in your office, all the computers and accessed equipment that your employees use to work from home, their smartphones and tablets and even their smartwatches”.

These are all points of entry for a potential hacker, so you’ll need to make sure that you’re educating your staff that these devices are a potential threat and should be protected as much as possible as a breach on any one of them could spell disaster for your business.

A Few Tools to Get You Started

Below, you’ll find a short list of tools you can use to help you enhance and improve your business’s cybersecurity measures to ensure damage to your networks is minimal.

Symantec

An online service and tool to help you protect your customer-to-company transactions.

Barracuda Web Application Firewall

A complete network management and monitoring service to help you protect both your inbound and outbound traffic.

Big Assignments

A writing tool you can use for creating a comprehensive security plan for your business.

MailControl

An online addon tool to help you protect your emails and the content they contain.

Elite Assignment Help

A tool and service to help you write a complete security strategy for your business.

Summary

As you can see, there are many elements to consider when it comes to your business’s daily cybersecurity status, and it’s not just your IT department’s responsibility to protect you. Educate your staff, and you can be sure to minimise the risk of threat to your business.

By Brenda Berg, who is a professional with over 15 years of experience. Consultant and tutor for college students and entrepreneurs at Oxessays. Expert and highly familiar with a wide variety of security, engineering, networking, and operating system software. You can visit her personal blog at Letsgoandlearn.com

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