Cyber-Security and why it should be carefully consideration

15th June 2022

In today’s modern world of tech, where large corporations, social media networks and the big hitters of Silicon Valley face hacks and data breaches that make headline news, it can be easy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) to believe they’re too small to attract serious cyber-threats. The reality however, is quite different.

Cyber-criminals no longer target only the largest organisations. What was once seen as a nuisance has become a core business risk and treating your IT security as an after-thought can be disastrous.

Many attacks succeed precisely because the target is smaller, are generally less protected, under-prepared and has fewer resources to deal with such incidents. A recent HSBC Business Banking survey found that while SME’s considered cyber-security critical, they lacked the in-house expertise and resources to manage it effectively. If an SME suffers a breach, the financial cost, operational downtime and loss of customer trust, not to mention regulatory implications, can all be outsized relative to the size of the business. IT Security isn’t just a technical issue; it’s a business continuity issue.

• Phishing Attacks might lead to credential theft, then data loss or service disruption.
• Ransomware Infection could lock your systems and halt operations.
• Reputational Damage can be devastating to smaller businesses and may take month s(or years) after a breach to recover.

For SME’s, losing operation time due to a cyber-incident often costs a lot more than the cost of prevention.

Practical IT Security actions SME’s can take, immediately

Here are a number of cost-effective, practical steps you can take to bolster cyber-security in your business with the kind of managed IT service model we implore, promote, implement, manage and provide to our clients:

• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA); on all business-critical login points (email, admin consoles and cloud services) – this is essential safeguarding and adds little friction to daily use
• Keep software patched and up to date; to help best avoid attacks which exploit known vulnerabilities in older software versions that reside unpatched
• Back up your data regularly; and ensure those backups are stored offsite (and ideally are unchangeable) so ransomware can’t tamper with them
• Segment devices and networks; separate your guest Wi-Fi from business systems, and limit access rights based on roles where your infrastructure supports it
• Educate staff; phishing is still one of the most common entry points. Understanding of the most common techniques is key and regular awareness training goes a long way.These are not “enterprise-only” measures. Many are fundamental and quite feasible for even smaller businesses with the right guidance and support. We’re on-hand and ready to answer any questions or discuss your specific scenario if you’d like to talk with us, get in touch.

When to consider involving an expert

If you find any of the following apply, take it as a sign that, further professional help is likely more than justified:

• You have a growing number of devices/users but no IT department, contracted MSP, or centralised visibility or management over them
• You’re using cloud services (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, etc) but have no consistent security policy in place
• You don’t have a tested incident response or “what to do if we get hacked” plan

In such cases, partnering with an MSP who understands both business and IT can help you build the right balance of security, manageability and cost-effectiveness.

For SME’s, cyber-security is no longer optional. When your IT infrastructure is secure and reliable, you not gain peace of mind, but also free your team to focus on serving clients, growing your services and staying competitive – rather than reacting to emergencies.

We specialise in helping businesses just like yours build security that fits the size, budget and the ambitions of your organisation. It’s not one-size-fits-all and we believe firmly that tailoring of solutions provides the best long-term value for businesses. If you’d like to discuss your current setup or have an impartial review of your existing IT, drop us a line.

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