The Important Role Of Cyber Security
As technology continues to become more common in the workplace, so too are threats of cyber-attacks on your company. Organizations of all sizes are susceptible to cyber threats, with small and medium sized companies serving as the principal targets. In this now ever-changing online workflow, it is important to understand not only the role of cyber security, but also the impact cybercrime may have on your company if left unprotected.
Why Is Cyber Security Important?
As an employer, you’ll naturally want to protect your company’s sensitive data. But what about the personal information made available from your employees? Credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, emails and passwords. These are all targets cyber criminals look to capture when executing data breaches. With the rise of cloud services now leading the way in storing sensitive data, you’ll want a system that both works for and protects you and your data.
After securing personal information through a series of data breaches spread out over what could be multiple years, hackers stand to make a fortune selling your information on the dark web. The criminals who buy this information often times do so with the intention of stealing identities.
However, identity theft isn’t always the goal for cyber criminals. A cyber-attack may aim to compromise your data integrity. In other words, a hacker may attempt to change or destroy company data in order to create distrust and conflict within on organization. Without the proper means of security, it is only a matter of time before hackers find their way into your most sensitive accounts.
What Is the Potential Impact Of Cybercrime On A Company?
A lack of cyber security could lead to an increase in damage to your company, including:
- Attacks to Your Reputation – As mentioned above, hackers have the ability to change or even delete data once infiltrating your system. This could cause consumers to stop trusting your business, a poor media reputation and even a decrease in future business.
- Economic Loss – The cost to repair a damaged or breached security system could be quite expensive. Not to mention the theft of intellectual property and corporate information that may have also been stolen by hackers.
- Fines – That’s right. If your company were to get hacked and have a client’s sensitive data stolen, you could very well be on the hook for a civil lawsuit.
No matter the size of your company, it’s important to train your employees on the importance of online safety. Cybergate IT also provides vulnerability assessments to determine how your organization matches up against cyber-crime, and where best to prioritize security measures.
How To Keep Your Company Safe Online
There are many different measures you can instill to protect your company and employees from cyber-attacks.
- Educate Your Employees – All levels within the organization should understand the importance of online security. Familiarize them with phishing scams and emails and train them on what to do when they encounter suspicious activity.
- Keep Software Updated – Software companies will release updates that increase security measures. If you aren’t updating your software, you may be leaving your organization open to attacks.
- Strengthen Password Policies – This can be a companywide policy. A minimum of 8 characters, having a mix of both upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols helps to prevent theft. To increase security, change passwords at least once a month.
- Contact Cybergate IT – Our Cyber Security Threat Detection Bundle is an essential package that protects companies online. We perform a dark web credential search for your business, network vulnerability test, as well as a cyber security assessment. We also provide onsite consultation after these are performed to discuss results.
Cyber crime is only a headache if you allow it to be. Contact Cybergate IT to talk over security options and plans for your company today!