Why You Should Consider Cybersecurity as a Business Risk

A Guest Post by Brenda Berg

Back in the day, when you’ve been working away in your office at your computer, whether you’re answering emails, writing reports or talking online to partners, colleagues or clients, the chances are that you’d have paid very little thought to the security of your computer system.

If something went wrong with your computer, such as if it started slowing down, obtained a virus of some kind or suffered a technical fault, the tried and tested thing to do would be to get your IT department on the case.

However, the modern world and the face of business has changed dramatically over the last few years, perhaps even decades, and threats to the cybersecurity of your business have never been more diverse.

Why Is Cybersecurity Such a Threat?

As mentioned above, the world has changed, and we are far more connected to the internet than we’ve ever been before. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that many of us don’t even realize how closely entwined we are with the internet and what kind of level we’ve come to rely on it.

“For example, think about your business and how it operates. How much does your business’s success rely on the internet? Sure, you may use your computer personally to carry out day to day tasks, but what about the fact that your business has a website, social media pages, customer support teams, global support, online product assistance and this is only scratching the surface”, shares, a tech expert and founder of Big Assignments, Michael Hindle.

Now consider the fact that in the past, many businesses might have had several computers in order to carry out their workloads. Now, a standard office block could be filled with hundreds of computers and laptops. Then you can count the employees that work from home with their own computers, all the employees that access information, such as your website, intranet or emails from their tablets or smartphone devices.

Then you’ve got the actual network of your business which contains all the files you’ve ever created and used, every spreadsheet meeting agenda and every account form. Every single access point that your business has, whether it’s online, on a phone or a computer, is a potential entry point for a hacker or malicious piece of software to enter and affect your system, so it goes without saying that you and your employees need to be aware of the risks.

Why Would Somebody Want to Hack My Business?

Let’s face it; there are many companies out there that are earning millions of dollars every single day. Why would a hacker be interested in hacking into your business when these would surely be a better target?

While that may be the case, there are still reasons why you’ll be attacked. After all, a Telstra study in the eastern side of the world found that 59% of all surveyed Asian businesses experienced at least one business-interrupting security or data breach every single month, yet even companies who invest in their security, such as Upwork and Ukwritings, can still be threatened.

These figures are somewhat shocking, and it’s only natural that, when applied to the rest of the world, your business can start to feel very out in the open. There are several reasons for this.

Of course, there are going to be the odd hackers here and there which are simply bored, or really don’t like your company or something you’ve done and may aim to try and take you offline or damage your website content.

However, things have come a long way since the 90s. Nowadays, other companies have been known to pay hackers to hack into their competitor’s websites to bring them down, resulting in them gaining more business.

Other services hackers may provide include disinformation (as we’ve all heard about the Fake News scandals in America), market manipulation and even data theft or information acquisition.

Protecting Yourself and Your Business

While it’s easy to feel despair and as though your business isn’t safe and will never be safe, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, there are two simple things you can do to ensure that the digital side of your business is protected at all times.

“Firstly, education. This means educating your employees to learn about the dangers that the internet can have and how not being responsible for their actions online or using a device can lead to serious trouble for everybody” explains Thomas Daley, a security expert for Via Writing.

The second is taking the appropriate steps necessary in order to protect your business. These are relatively simple. Start by getting everybody in your company to set and use complex passwords that are hard, if not near impossible, to guess. Use tools like Strong Pass Generator or Easy Word Count to ensure your employees are setting passwords at least 12 characters long for maximum protection.

Then, set up firewalls, anti-virus and malware software and other measures and applications that you can install to deter potential hackers and protect your systems and your data. You can also use tools like State of Writing or Elite Assignment Help to create and write your own company security plan, check-list and security rules for your employees to follow and abide by.

If you’re planning to protect your business over the long-term, rather than trying to protect yourself in immediately, you’ll need to create a security strategy that will detail the long-term steps that you’re going to take.

Summary

While the world of cybersecurity may seem like it belongs in your IT department, it’s safe to say that, thanks to the way in which modern society has involved, it’s all of our responsibility, a responsibility that we need to be aware of for the safety of our workplace and data.

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Also published on Medium.