The Common Challenges You Can Overcome
The NHS, TalkTalk and Equifax have been in the new for serious cyber-attacks after exposing sensitive customer data, so as a small business you may think you are not worth a hacker’s time.
This is a common misconception which can result in SME’s not implementing robust data security plans. If you fail to take steps to protect you data, information and digital infrastructure you are far more likely to suffer a data breach, which may have a long-lasting impact on your company.
The Consequences of a Data Security Breach
Many UK businesses have fallen victim to cyberattacks or security breaches in the last year, costing them each thousands of pounds. Not only is there the cost but you need to consider the potential harm to your brand and reputation along with your customer and client relationships.
With GDPR in place, serious financial penalties can also be imposed if there is a customer breach of personal information, unauthorized access etc.
Not only this but any cyberattack can potentially affect your whole operating system and have a terminal impact on your business.
If you take on board the financial impact of improving your data security against the potential impact of a cyber attach preventing a breach is an easier and more cost-effective than dealing with the consequence of an attack.
Professional Support
As a small business, you may not have the budget to maintain an in-house IT specialist or department with the skills, talent and know-how needed to deal with every potential threat.
Working with a specialised IT service provider like Trident will give you access to the knowledge and resources needed and offer a wider range of options and solutions.
We can advise on which equipment or software would best suit your company to improve cyber security and make sure that all applications and systems are set up correctly and maintained.
How Trident can help protect your network:
Networks will always have weak points and if you are expanding or are changing to more home working you may find yourself at greater risk.
Some security applications and software can automatically scan for security threats and monitor network traffic, these are crucial when protecting your systems.
Outsourcing this function to an external IT specialist like Trident is highly beneficial as we will give you the confidence that any underlying weaknesses are identified and resolved immediately.
How Trident can help protect your devices:
Smartphones, tablets, laptops are now essential to all businesses, with sensitive information stored and then removed from the safety of the office; with this in mind they need even more protection than desktop equipment. When setting up devices within your business – whether that’s laptops, mobile phones, tablets etc – the manufacturers often set the default configurations of new software to be as open and multi-functional as possible. The default is usually ‘everything on’ to make them easily connectable and usable. These settings can provide cyber attackers with opportunities to gain unauthorised access to your data so they must be checked and, where possible, raised to the highest level of security. Complex passwords are key too as, when implemented correctly, they are an easy and effective way to prevent unauthorised users accessing your devices. Many devices now include fingerprint recognition to lock the device, but again this feature is not always enabled immediately so it is crucial to check. When utilising mobile devices as part of your business, it is important to make sure that, if lost, they can be tracked, locked and/or wiped remotely. Many of them will have the first 2 functions set up already as a free app, but if employees have client details and sensitive data readily available, implementing mobile device management software to wipe the content is highly recommended.
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