5 Cybersecurity Questions Every Business Should Answer

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Over 2019 terrifying 61% of companies suffered cyber attacks. And if it doesn’t sound intimidating to you, here is another thing you need to know — in 2018 only 41% of businesses were attacked. Such a dramatic rise in incidents is quite a strong reason for entrepreneurs to plan out the protection measures and begin taking actions.

Thinking about the privacy of a firm, an entrepreneur should remember that business security differs from a personal one. Companies should see cyberattacks in the way they see any business risk. So similarly to the risk management process, they should lay out strategies for data breaches. Before jumping to choosing the best free antivirus in 2020, businesses should find an answer to certain questions first.

What do you need to protect?

Different assets require different security approaches. For example, if you need to protect only the network of your corporate computers, a good security suite will be sufficient. But if your company is using servers for certain needs or transfers sensitive information to third parties beyond the corporate network, you should invest in endpoint protection, and tailored solution security companies offer.

Long story short, the larger your infrastructure is, the more complex your protection plan should be. Fortunately for businesses, most top security providers already offer ready-to-use solutions for all the various needs companies might have. You have to make sure that a specific plan covers all your assets, including any mobile devices your employees are using for work.

Who can help you?

Cybersecurity is a sophisticated industry that’s not quite feasible for those who are not working in this field. And even though antivirus providers would give their clients a detailed description of what their products do, you still might feel the need to get additional help. If you hesitate about something or even the smallest detail remains unclear to you, it’s better to have someone who can aid you.

However, it’s not always efficient to hire in-house security specialists in terms of costs. That’s why many firms outsource this responsibility to companies that offer expert cybersecurity services. Their professionals will support you and keep all your assets protected while you can focus on developing your business.

What will you do in case of an attack?

It’s essential to have a recovery plan in advance. You should understand clearly what actions to take if your business suffers from a cyberattack. Then you can guarantee the fastest recovery and minimal loss from the data breach. In most cases, a poorly managed attack will result in prolonged data leaks. So it’s vital to be ready for the worst thing to happen.

Planning for a disaster is another reason why we advised you to have someone who can help you out. Security specialists will aid you in creating a plan of action, and if the attack takes place, they will help you stop it as quickly as possible and recover swiftly.

Many business owners skip planning for a cyberattack if they have security staff or a contract with a cybersecurity firm. They think that the fact that someone takes care of the protection is enough. But the bitter truth is that no matter how expert the professionals you work with are, unpredictable things can happen. Especially, considering that the security industry can’t really keep up with hackers, and malefactors usually have more advanced technologies. Therefore, always plan for a data breach to happen.

What can you do to prevent the data breach?

This question might seem illogical after everything we said above. But it’s an important thing to ask because sometimes even the best software and the most experienced professionals can’t help.

95% of cloud breaches happen due to human error. And even though these stats are true for cloud services, they also can be applied to other fields. No matter how strong your protection is in terms of software, it won’t save your company from a data leak if an employee accidentally or intentionally discloses the information to a third-party.

Hackers know quite well how sloppy can office workers be. They could use the corporate device for some personal needs and create a vulnerability doing that. Or they could become a victim of a phishing email — which happens quite often as big data offers more possibilities for malefactors. The scenarios are very vast and varied. But in the end, it frequently boils down to some employee making a mistake and causing a data breach.

The fix for this issue is very simple — business owners need to educate their workers. Different educational platforms offer specialized courses about online safety. Also, you could invite professionals to hold lectures about privacy. Additionally, it’s useful to create some kind of a guide on how to keep the workplace protected from hackers and provide all employees with this small brochure.

And don’t forget to keep all the devices employees are using protected from attacks. Most workers would utilize not only corporate computers but their own mobile devices or laptops for their work tasks. It’s important to keep those gadgets safeguarded as well. So additional spendings for a more extended security coverage will be your investment into greater peace of mind.

There are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to keep their workers aware of possible threats. Doing that, business owners will enhance the protection of their companies and lower the risk of a hacker attack.

What software are you using?

Any messengers or other programs your employees utilize could become the vulnerability hackers will use to get into your corporate network. There is a reason why numerous work chats like Slack exist. And their advantage is not only in that such platforms are convenient to use. They’re also very secure because providers of these chats understand the risks businesses face. Using something like a Facebook messenger to solve the work-related issue is a mistake that can lead your company to a data leak.

Another mistake is to use some generic cloud storage like Dropbox or Google Drive for corporate files. Such repositories are very vulnerable, and your information is not safe there. Instead, you should try data rooms that are created specifically for corporate documents. They will reliably protect them and keep them available for authorized users.

Analyze every single service and program you and your employees are using for work. And see if all the tools are reliable and secure.

Bottom line

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to do one thing and hope for the best. Today businesses need to invest quite a lot of time, money, and efforts into keeping hackers away. Only a complex of activities can keep corporate data safe and sound.