Over the past few years, instances of cyberthreats have increased at an alarming rate, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Awareness around cyber security has certainly improved over the past year, with 9 in 10 Americans stating that they are somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain utilities.
But while awareness has increased, so have the rates of cyber-attacks.
Last year, people had more data breaches from January to October 2021 than in all of 2020.
As we continue through 2022, there’s no reason to assume this year will be any different.
In order to ensure that your business is protected this year and every year after, you should take the proper precautions regarding cyber security.
If your business falls prey to a cyber-attack, you risk tarnishing your brand’s reputation and will have customers questioning whether it’s safe to do business with you.
Below are a couple of the best cyber security practices you can put in place to fully prepare for cyber-attacks and threats.
Multifactor identification and ensuring that your employees create complex and non-repetitive passwords go a long way toward keeping your business protected.
Small and mid-size businesses (SMB) have seen an increase in cyber-attacks since 2018, but larger corporations are no exception for hackers.
The NBA, Kia Motors and the Colonial Pipeline are just a few examples of big businesses that fell victim to cyber-attacks last year.
No matter if your business is big or small, hiring an MSP is the most affordable and best way to protect your business.
MSPs are designed to identify and resolve any weak points in your IT infrastructure.
MSPs are focused on being proactive and will also focus on IT support and advanced security.
Some of the cyber security services we as an MSP provide are:
With our MSP services, you get a team of dedicated IT professionals who are available to assist with any tech dilemmas that may arise.
It’s the quickest and most cost-efficient way to fully protect your business.
If your employees have not been trained to be cyber-secure, they need to be trained on this subject immediately.
Cyber security should also be built into the devices they use to access company data.
This becomes even more important if your employees are working remotely.
Multifactor identification and ensuring that your employees create complex and non-repetitive passwords go a long way toward keeping your business protected.
Educate your employees about the most common forms of cyber-attacks.
They should be aware of phishing e-mails and texts, and should be taught to never open any links if they don’t know who the sender is.
Hackers have also started to frequent social media, and they often target small businesses through various platforms.
Make sure your employees aren’t clicking on any social media spam links that could put your network at risk.
Also, train them in not oversharing on social media.
Hackers use social engineering to get personal data people post and try to get access to their accounts using possible passwords or security questions.
Lastly, make sure they aren’t accidentally downloading any malware that could create disastrous outcomes for your company.
A cyber-attack can have cataclysmic effects on a small business, and every business owner needs to make sure their network is protected.
If you don’t know where to start, give us a call and we will find a way to help you make your company as cyberprotected as possible.
More businesses are returning to on-location work, and hybrid meetings are becoming more prevalent. As meetings start to occur that host both remote and on-location employees, you may be wondering how to keep everything managed and what is the bets solution for hybrid meetings. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to ensure that everyone feels heard and respected.
Instead of having everyone on-site use one camera, have them use their individual laptops or computers. This will reduce chaos and allow everyone an opportunity to speak without interrupting others. If this is not feasible with your company, you could assign someone to monitor the remote workers and pass along any questions or information to the employees working on-site.
Having one-on-one meetings with remote workers and developing a connected culture both go a long way toward making everyone feel comfortable and appreciated.
It will take time to perfect hybrid meetings, but with patience, understanding and a desire to improve, your meetings can run smoother than ever before.
Virtual private network (VPN) technology is essential for securing the Internet safely, whether it be for work or pleasure. VPNs are one of the only ways you can have end-to-end safeguard encryption that keeps your information secure while browsing the Internet. If you don’t currently use a VPN, you absolutely should.
Here are a few things to consider before deciding on a specific VPN.
The VPN market is growing fast. It reached $31 billion in 2021 and is slated to grow to $90 billion within the next six years.
When choosing a VPN, you want to consider server locations, speed, security policy, whether the VPN has reliable encryption standards, device compatibility and so much more.
Choosing a VPN should not be a half-second decision. Take your time and do your research before deciding on a service.
If you’re looking to start a new business or grow a current business that sells a particular product or service, you need to have a solid online shop. A new report from Digital Commerce 360 took a deep dive into e-commerce and the features that users think are necessary.
About 76% of respondents said that a detailed description is important if they are going to make a purchase.
It was also reported that most customers want a convenient and speedy checkout procedure.
The pandemic has made finding many products difficult, and 68% of respondents said that they would like websites to mark their products as out of stock when applicable.
There are many things that you can do to make online shopping a better experience for your customers. When deciding what features to include, look at it from the consumer’s viewpoint and decide from there.
As the new year kicks off, many business owners and entrepreneurs are making their New Year’s resolutions. Most of these business owners will be focused on increasing profits or expanding growth, but it would be wise to focus on some IT- or tech-related resolutions as well.
Making sure that you are up-to-date on the most recent tech and security measures can go a long way toward growing and protecting your business.
While many companies make goals or resolutions that they hope to achieve in the new year, plenty of businesses fail to meet these goals because they do not take the steps necessary to achieve them. It often takes time and determination to make these resolutions a reality, and business owners should not quit when the situations become stale or difficult.
"MSPs allow for predictable monthly costs and better security, but they truly have a plethora of benefits"
Here are our three best IT and tech resolutions for business owners to make for the new year, and how to make sure you achieve them. These resolutions will support business’ growth goals and will help business owners achieve them.
If your employees have not had any security awareness training, you should make it your focus to ensure that everyone is informed about potential information security breaches.
Research suggests that human error is involved in over 90% of security breaches
By providing security awareness training to your employees, you will teach them how to avoid mistakes that could leave the business at risk. Not only will this help your employees be more aware of security, but it will make your customers feel more comfortable and confident when working with your company.
There are other benefits to holding security awareness training for your team, and one of the best is that you will be taking your first steps in creating a culture based around tech security. You will be introducing your team to the importance of information security, which they will effectively use to fortify your cyber-defenses.
When new employees are brought in, set aside some time for them to have security awareness training so they are enveloped in the culture from day one.
By putting together a plan where every employee is introduced to information security awareness, your company will be less at risk for breaches and threats made possible by human error.
We at QWERTY take care of security proactively by setting up a continuous training program for employees. It will teach them how to prevent falling victims to hackers with interactive videos and scoring so you can also keep track on their progress. For more information of our cyber security training program go to our Cybersecurity section
The MSP industry has seen immense growth over the past five years. The market was valued at over $152 billion in 2017 and is expected to rise to $257 billion by the end of 2022.
MSPs allow for predictable monthly costs and better security practices, but they truly have a plethora of benefits.
If your computer breaks or shuts down, MSPs have the ability to not only fix it but also go above and beyond the usual tech support. Some MSPs will work with your business to understand your goals and find better ways to achieve them.
MSPs are also raising their tech game. Yes, they can help with problems related to e-mail, web and file searching, but they are also available for more advanced needs, like cloud infrastructure management.
If you’re still working with a basic IT service, look into using an MSP instead. They will help with your usual tech problems while also providing you with the resources needed to achieve your goals.
For more information on how we, as an MSP, can help your business achieve its goals by supporting its technology needs, take a look at our services in the top menu of this webpage or go to our plans section.
Data is an essential part of any business, and it’s imperative that every business owner makes an effort to back up their data. If important files are damaged or deleted or a disaster causes your business to lose important data, data backups can prevent business interruptions.
It becomes even more important when dealing with clients’ information.
Imagine that you’re a customer who has been making transactions with a business for years. They may have your address, phone number, e-mail address and sometimes even your Social Security number, but one day, you call and they no longer have your information on file. You probably wouldn’t feel too secure giving this company that information again if they already lost it the first time. This is how your clients will feel if they have to provide their information again after data loss that could have been prevented by backing up your data.
Your business should have a data backup and disaster recovery plan set up so your business avoid downtime and keep running. For more information on how to back up your data and set up a robust plan, visit our cloud backup and disaster recovery section.
As you plan out your goals and resolutions to incorporate in 2022, don’t forget to include IT and tech goals as well. Not only will they save you money in the long run, but they will also grant you peace of mind. Make a plan, overcome any obstacles and don’t lose hope if it looks like you need more than a year to accomplish your goals.
Ford has been a dominant first in the auto industry since the very beginning. Henry Ford once said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.”
It now looks like Tesla is following Ford’s direction.
While other auto companies are focusing on providing more options to their customers, Tesla has scaled back. Tesla offers a third of the color and model choices when compared to its competitors, but their stock value is much higher than most. Tesla has improved their stock value by doing what it does best instead of attempting to appease every customer.
This same thought process can be applied to business. Businesses that try to do everything to win all customers instead of focusing on their true base usually lose out to the competition.
The most successful companies limit their options and make the choice for the consumer easy.
Businesses use CRMs to provide better service to their customers by organizing and automating certain aspects of the business. There’s a vital tool in many of the major CRMs that is unutilized in many businesses. The ticket/case function can be used to address and keep a record of issues reported by clients.
When this function is used in CRMs, it can ensure that the problem is sent to the right person who is capable of addressing the issue. It can catch these problems early and will inform other users of this error so it can be fixed quickly.
This helps meet the customers’ needs while seeing if there are hidden faults lying beneath the surface of the product or service. A knowledge base can even be created to keep a record of all these problems so that customer service representatives can provide fast service to resolve any consumer issues.
Regardless of the size of your business, the ticket/case tool is a valuable resource.
When it comes to creating a successful business, hiring a dedicated and engaged team makes all the difference. If you have unhappy employees, chances are that you also have unhappy customers.
Building an engaged team starts with setting core values for the company. If all employees believe in the company’s core values, they will have a better work experience.
Once you have a team in place that believes in the values, work on creating positive connections. Positive connections help make the workplace enjoyable.
Consumers are more likely to buy based on emotion, and a happier employee will create a better encounter for the customer. Creating a culture that everyone buys into goes a long way toward growing your business.
The holiday season has almost arrived, and more Americans are expected to turn to online shopping this year than ever before.
The ongoing pandemic, combined with convenience, makes online shopping an obvious choice for most consumers.
Unfortunately, online shopping has been muddied with hackers and cyberthieves since its debut.
There are still safe places on the Internet where we should feel comfortable to shop, though.
If you are careful about where you spend your money or share your personal information, online shopping can feel just as safe as entering a store.
Here are our five best tips to ensure that your online holiday shopping is safe and secure.
When shopping online, you want to ensure that every site you visit is secure.
Look at the browser bar when entering a new site.
If there is a small padlock icon to the left of the web address, the site is secure and you should feel safe to continue.
Google Chrome goes an extra step and will label unsecure sites as “not secure” so you know to stay away.
Another quick way to tell if a site is secure is by looking at the web address.
If it begins in “https,” you’re good to go.
If the “s” is missing at the end and it starts with “http,” the site is not secure, and you should find somewhere else to shop.
You can shop on your phone just as easily as you do on your computer, and the portable aspect should not worry you.
Major corporations like Amazon and Walmart have secure apps with seemingly unlimited items to purchase.
Making purchases directly on apps avoids the hassle of going to the company’s website, where your connection might not be as secure.
It also helps to set up an Apple or Google Pay account, as businesses will not be able to get your bank account information from these sources.
If you do decide to shop on your mobile device, make sure that you are not on public WiFi.
Public WiFi is rarely secure, and using it could make you an easy target for hackers.
They could get any personal information you enter while on the WiFi.
It’s better to bookmark the products and purchase them when you are on a private connection
To keep your information secure, it’s imperative to utilize strong and complex passwords that are difficult to crack.
Avoid using personal information and using the same password across accounts.
To make things easier for yourself, utilize a password manager to keep track of all of your different passwords.
This way, you can create complex passwords that even the best of hackers can’t figure out.
Make sure to use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special punctuation to make the most secure password possible.
Our personal recommendations for personal/family password managers are Dashlane and LastPass
If you are careful about where you spend your money or share your personal information, online shopping can feel just as safe as entering a store.
If you come across a price that just seems too good to be true, chances are it probably is.
If you search for an item on a search engine, you may see prices way lower than those of major retailers.
These options could be on unsecured sites as a front to try to steal your information or it could be someone who doesn’t actually have the item trying to make a quick dollar.
While the deal might seem like something you can’t pass up, it may cost you more in the long run, and you might not even get the product.
You won’t always know when someone gets access to your personal information or bank accounts.
By paying attention to your bank statements, you can catch overcharges or purchases that you did not make.
Always use a credit card when shopping online because hackers will not be able to access any of your actual money.
Most credit cards come with fraud protection that prevents you from being liable for charges you never actually made.
As long as you take the necessary precautions, shopping online is a safe and financially responsible practice. If you follow these tips, your holiday shopping will go as smoothly as possible.
Whether your business is a massive multinational operation or you’re a humble “solopreneur,” you have now entered the era of the “digital-first” economy.
Daunting though it may be to prioritize your business’s online presence, there are five traits that will serve your customers well and lead to your success.
Flexibility: Be prepared to constantly advance your knowledge of new technologies and softwares and make changes to your systems when necessary.
Comfort With Outsourcing And Automating: Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks, such as fulfillment or marketing management, that keep you from the core work of your business.
Digital Communication Skills: This means not only having the right kinds of digital communication avenues (e-mail, website, social media, etc.) but also knowing how to optimize them to communicate clearly and consistently with your customers.
Understanding Customer Expectations: In a world where customers expect seamless interactions and quick results, make sure you each clearly understand one another’s needs.
Cyber Security: Even solopreneurs are at a greater risk for cyber-attacks. Make sure to protect sensitive data in a way that works best for your business model.
As we transition into a digital-first economy, the concept of “digital identity” meaning the set of attributes related to your identity that you make known online, should be at the forefront of national security talks.
But just how can people, companies, bots and things balance privacy and security in a way that keeps their sensitive information safe?
One way is by prioritizing relevant credentials rather than entire identities.
Say you’re making an account on a website that you need to be 18 to access.
Now, the site could provide you with a way to share your driver’s license and credit card information.
After all, that would ensure that you are the one using your digital identity on that site. However, if the site gets hacked, then the hackers have all that info about you, when all the site really needed in the first place was your age.
So, those relevant credentials, also referred to as “entitlements” (because they’re the pieces of information that entitle you to certain services), are the best starting point for a discussion about digital identity and national security.
If you want to protect your smartphone from being hacked, all you have to do is turn your phone off and back on again.
Does that sound overly simplistic and cliché? Probably.
Does it work? Absolutely.
The reason that simply turning your phone off and on again can thwart hackers is because, historically, hacking has been a game of persistence.
Keep at it for long enough, and a person’s security protocols will eventually give.
However, with smartphones, hackers have found that they don’t need to be persistent because most of us never shut off our devices.
Thus, hacking smartphones has become a much more attractive option for cybercriminals.
By simply turning your phone off and back on again regularly, you give cybercriminals far fewer opportunities to hack your device, and they’ll likely move on to try and hack a smartphone that stays on continually.
Considering how low-tech this solution is, there’s no reason that anyone with a smartphone shouldn’t be doing it.
Though no one would dispute the increasing prevalence of cyber-attacks on businesses in recent years, many small-business owners believe themselves and their business to be immune to such attacks.
Broadly speaking, many small-business owners are likely to think that cybercriminals will go after the bigger fish.
However, the fact of the matter is that cyber-attacks are crimes of opportunity, and small businesses often have access to a good amount of sensitive data without many major safeguards.
In other words, they’re low-hanging fruit, ripe for the picking.
Back in 2019, two-thirds of respondents to a survey about cyber security didn’t believe that their small to mid-size business (SMB) would fall victim to a cyber-attack.
Consequently, only 9% of respondents said cyber security was a top priority for their business, and 60% didn’t have any sort of plan for deterring a cyber-attack.
All of this, despite the fact that, according to a report from CNBC, SMBs endured 43% of reported cyber-attacks, and according to data from the Ponemon Institute and Keeper Security, 76% of SMBs in the U.S. alone reportedly endured a cyber-attack within the previous year.
Every small-business owner should have some plan for deterring cyber-attacks so they don’t end up as another statistic.
Here are a few strategies for keeping the cybercriminals at bay and protect your business.
Storing data in the cloud is easy and cost-effective, but you should take care to find the most secure cloud storage platforms.
Not all cloud platforms make security a priority, but some do.
A few of the top-rated, most secure cloud platforms, according to Cloudwards.net, include Sync.com, pCloud and Icedrive.
Also, well-setup private cloud platforms made by professional IT services providers are less likely to be breached, since those platforms are private and the only users would be the company itself and its clients.
You can consult with your current IT provider to know what type of platform they are using and evaluate your information’s security.
Click here for more information about secure cloud backup services.
Computers and the many smart devices hooked up to your business network can become weak spots for hackers to get in.
Taking steps to safeguard each device in your network with strong passwords and robust authentication measures (like two-factor authentication or 2FA) will go a long way toward keeping the hackers at bay.
In fact, one of the most basic security measures you can take for your network is to restrict access to your WiFi with a strong password.
Virtual private networks (VPNs) and firewalls are tools that are highly effective in protecting against cyber-attacks, even if they can’t prevent 100% of them.
When you get notified that one of the technological tools that you use has a new update, it’s easy to ignore it.
However, you should commit to regularly updating and upgrading these tools because developers will often add patches to their programs that make them more secure against cyber-attacks with each update.
So, it behooves business owners to regularly install updates for their tech tools.
76% of SMBs in the U.S. alone reportedly endured a cyber-attack within the previous year
One of the most common forms of cyber-attacks is ransomware attacks.
This consists in hackers holding your company data hostage until you pay them a ransom amount.
Knowing that, having your company data stored on multiple backups can ensure that you won’t need to pay such ransom and your business won’t crumble due to your data’s inaccessibility.
As much as we’d wish it were true, many cyber-attacks don’t come from outside of your company.
Instead, they originate from within.
If you want to limit the amount of damage that someone inside your company can do in a cyber-attack, the best course of action is to limit their access to different parts of your network.
This is something your IT department or provider should know how to define better.
At the same time, just as many cyber-attacks occur not because of an employee’s malicious intent, but because of their ignorance.
They click on a link in a sketchy e-mail and fall for a phishing scheme, volunteer their password info without thinking about it or choose a weak password for their computer.
That’s why you need to dedicate time to training your employees on best practices when it comes to cyber security.
You need to make cyber security a top priority, not just for your IT department, but for every department at your business.
When everyone works together to protect their workplace from a cyber-attack, you have a better chance of actually succeeding.
Will protecting your business from a cyber-attack require a good amount of time and money?
Absolutely.
Can you afford to ignore the prevalence of cyber-attacks any longer?
Statistically, no.
The sad truth is that 60% of SMBs that fall victim to a cyber-attack end up going out of business within six months.
Don’t put yourself in that kind of position.
Instead, take your business’s cyber security seriously.
If you need help to make a plan to protect your business from cyber-attacks, check out our approach to cyber security and how we can help you here.
Know more about our comprehensive approach to cyber security for small and medium-sized businesses here.
Security researchers discovered a vulnerability in Windows Hello’s facial recognition programming that could potentially impact Windows 10 users.
Does it warrant much fear?
Experts say no – at least, not to the average user.
The vulnerability has to do with Windows Hello’s camera system.
It uses a camera with an infrared sensor and an RGB sensor.
However, only the infrared image is processed during facial recognition.
This theoretically means that if someone were to get a hold of an infrared image of your face, they could use it to access your computer – and that’s where the threat starts to fall apart.
Whenever a hacker needs physical access to the computer and the computer’s user, they won’t waste their time unless you’re hiding some pretty juicy data.
So, don’t worry, Windows 10 users – you can sleep easy knowing that no one is trying to steal your face.
When you’re working from home, the valuable bonds that you naturally form with your coworkers in the office will be hard to form and maintain – but not impossible.
Here are a few ways that you can build relationships with your coworkers from home.
Communicate (And Listen) Often And Well
That means going beyond just the daily Slack check-ins on progress.
Let your coworkers know about areas in which they could improve, and don’t forget to really and truly hear (or read) what they have to say.
Active listening (or reading) is just as important as communicating effectively yourself.
Create Channels For Building Strong Teams
Strong teams mean increased productivity and satisfaction from employees.
To build strong teams, build channels for those teams to use to communicate throughout the day.
Tools like Microsoft Teams can enable the perfect environment for conversations, file sharing and collaboration.
Find Opportunities For Coworkers To Socialize Online
To get coworkers relating to one another, make online coffee hours (or happy hours!), contests, competitions and classes.
Coworkers who have fun together work well together!
If you’re a private business owner looking to take your business public, now is the time.
So far, 2021 has seen a higher full year average of IPOs than those of the previous 10 years, rivaling that of the dot-com boom.
To take advantage of the upswing, just use the first three of the four stages of scaling to guide your way to incredible revenue gains.
Now you’re ready to raise some venture capital!
Cyber-attacks on companies are becoming increasingly common. As many companies adapted to the work-from-home culture that came about during the pandemic, they left their systems vulnerable to hackers who could steal their valuable data or hold it for ransom.
Some companies have been able to recover most of their data through the use of backup copies, but all too often, companies see massive interruptions to their operations and make enormous ransom payments. In fact, in the first quarter of 2021, 41% of insurance claims in Europe were related to ransomware.
If it happened to them, it can happen to your organization too. Create a security-conscious work culture, create backups for your data, keep your systems up-to-date and hire security consultants to help you patch up any holes. Cyber-attacks can happen to you, but they don’t have to.
Building trust between yourself and your clients or customers is critical for making sales. If you have a client’s trust, they’ll work with you regardless of any other hurdles they have to clear to maintain their relationship with you. If you get the impression that potential clients and customers don’t trust you, try these two methods for gaining their trust.
If you can show customers how you benefited someone else’s life with your business, they might be more inclined to see you as someone who can help them as well. Find a customer who you’ve successfully helped in the past.
Then, with their permission, map out their struggles and how your services helped them overcome those struggles. New customers will see themselves reflected in those case studies and be more willing to trust you.
While serving the same basic function as a case study, videos of client success stories help new clients “see it to believe it.” These can capture tone and emotion like written words cannot, thus making them a potentially more effective tool for establishing trust in your business.
As many businesses found out this past year and a half, miscommunications happen all the time when any team is working virtually. Most of how we communicate with one another is nonverbal, so it would make sense that things would get lost in translation when just chatting through Slack. Nevertheless, there are a few key ways that businesses can learn to communicate well and build a great virtual team.
Whether this looks like a group call where the team talks about non-work-related things or you have a virtual “coffee break” every morning, talking about your personal life will help you build trust with your fellow team members.
Make sure the communication channels are clear, then use them correctly. If everyone knows where to find instructions for their workload, then miscommunications will be kept to a minimum. Also, invest in unified communications and collaborative solutions so your team can be connected with each other, and with clients.
When something needs to get done, don’t make general statements about how you’ll get there. When you communicate the task to others, mention dates, times and specific steps for getting the task done.
By following these three general guidelines, you can have a well-oiled virtual team to be proud of.
In the past, many of us were convinced that the in-person workplace was the ideal model to foster company culture and maximize collaboration.
While this has plenty of truth to it, even as we look at the world as “post-pandemic,” we’ve learned that we can achieve strong culture and collaboration even through digital workplaces.
Learning this wasn’t easy – it required a lot of trial and error. However, remote work environments have opened new doors and allowed businesses to try technologies they might have previously missed or ignored.
These technologies include:
All of these allow employees – remote and in-person – to really plan their days.
It’s also made businesses rethink cyber security. As more owners went remote, they had to figure out how to keep their business and employees secure.
In the past, they may have fallen short in the cyber security arena, but now, that’s not the case.
As a result of adopting new technologies and ideas, they’ve ended up strengthening their businesses for a different kind of future. Inc., April 13, 2021
Steven Knight, an entrepreneur and Forbes contributor, shares his approach to strengthen revenue and the health of a business.
As the creator of solutions and opportunities at Mosaic Home Services Ltd., he offers a keen insight into the topic.
While it is a big topic, he focuses on the “customer.”
Every business owner needs to ask, “Who do you want your customer to be?”
It seems like a simple question, but it’s about trying to really understand who your ideal customer should or needs to be.
Avoid making assumptions about your customers and who you think you should be targeting.
It boils down to looking at your expertise.
It’s tempting to offer services that are loosely related to what you already do in order to target new customers, but you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the time and money.
Instead, double-down on customers you already serve and serve them well, then look for more.
It’s not easy, but in strengthening your revenue, you need to determine who and what really matters. Forbes, May 17, 2021
Infrastructure Attacks
These are on the rise and have the power to disrupt supply chains, as we learned with gas shortages through large parts of the United States in May 2021.
Verizon reports that a majority (about 71%) of attacks are about extorting money.
The pipeline attack was a ransomware attack.
Greater Persistence
With more people working remotely, more businesses relying on artificial intelligence and automation and more devices connected than ever before, cybercriminals are looking for new ways to exploit all of these areas.
Cybercriminals Working Together
As odd as it sounds, many cybercriminals are working together more than in the past.
They rely on black markets and hidden forums where they can buy the latest disruptive tools and discuss tactics.
The Internet Of Things
There are countless devices that are a part of the Internet Of Things, including thermostats, refrigerators and even defibrillators.
These devices can be hard to protect from outside intrusion, and users need to be aware of the security present on their devices and avoid those that lack it. Forbes, May 9, 2021
Over the past few years, instances of cyberthreats have increased at an alarming rate, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Awareness around cyber security has certainly improved over the past year, with 9 in 10 Americans stating that they are somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain utilities.
But while awareness has increased, so have the rates of cyber-attacks.
Last year, people had more data breaches from January to October 2021 than in all of 2020.
As we continue through 2022, there’s no reason to assume this year will be any different.
In order to ensure that your business is protected this year and every year after, you should take the proper precautions regarding cyber security.
If your business falls prey to a cyber-attack, you risk tarnishing your brand’s reputation and will have customers questioning whether it’s safe to do business with you.
Below are a couple of the best cyber security practices you can put in place to fully prepare for cyber-attacks and threats.
Multifactor identification and ensuring that your employees create complex and non-repetitive passwords go a long way toward keeping your business protected.
Small and mid-size businesses (SMB) have seen an increase in cyber-attacks since 2018, but larger corporations are no exception for hackers.
The NBA, Kia Motors and the Colonial Pipeline are just a few examples of big businesses that fell victim to cyber-attacks last year.
No matter if your business is big or small, hiring an MSP is the most affordable and best way to protect your business.
MSPs are designed to identify and resolve any weak points in your IT infrastructure.
MSPs are focused on being proactive and will also focus on IT support and advanced security.
Some of the cyber security services we as an MSP provide are:
With our MSP services, you get a team of dedicated IT professionals who are available to assist with any tech dilemmas that may arise.
It’s the quickest and most cost-efficient way to fully protect your business.
If your employees have not been trained to be cyber-secure, they need to be trained on this subject immediately.
Cyber security should also be built into the devices they use to access company data.
This becomes even more important if your employees are working remotely.
Multifactor identification and ensuring that your employees create complex and non-repetitive passwords go a long way toward keeping your business protected.
Educate your employees about the most common forms of cyber-attacks.
They should be aware of phishing e-mails and texts, and should be taught to never open any links if they don’t know who the sender is.
Hackers have also started to frequent social media, and they often target small businesses through various platforms.
Make sure your employees aren’t clicking on any social media spam links that could put your network at risk.
Also, train them in not oversharing on social media.
Hackers use social engineering to get personal data people post and try to get access to their accounts using possible passwords or security questions.
Lastly, make sure they aren’t accidentally downloading any malware that could create disastrous outcomes for your company.
A cyber-attack can have cataclysmic effects on a small business, and every business owner needs to make sure their network is protected.
If you don’t know where to start, give us a call and we will find a way to help you make your company as cyberprotected as possible.
