I really wish I didn’t have to write an article about planning for cybersecurity—that instead I could just say having antivirus protection and following a few security guidelines would be enough. But the reality is without an up-to-date cybersecurity plan, you’re not safe!
Cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to get into your systems. Every week, there are more and more security breaches, identity theft or hacks compromising businesses of every vertical and size. It’s scary that there are too many data breaches to keep track of!
Considering this, I wanted to point out three important reasons why your cybersecurity plan is likely out of date and why you can’t wait until next year to get around to fixing it.
1. Anything created yesterday is outdated. Just like you should be updating your backup recovery plan annually, you need to have an evolving plan for cybersecurity. Knowing that criminal are always trying to be two steps ahead of technology defenses, you need to have a technical team that is current on cyber threats and has an action plan ready for you and your team. A plan from last year likely cannot predict the big issues this year. Without a current security plan, you will never be proactively equipped with the best measures to shield your business from potential attack.
2. You need a group of security consultants or a chief security officer to create, review, revise and initiate your plan. Hackers are trying new tactics EVERY day. You need someone that understands how hackers think, what their new tactics are and to recognize vulnerabilities in your networks before they have a chance to take advantage of you. A security expert should guide your business to alleviate network problems and circumvent cybercriminal activity. The take home message here: you need smart people that have the capacity to quickly recognize problems and combat potential cybercrime affecting your business—this is especially true if you store any sensitive data.
3. Can you explain a breach to your clients? Think about that nightmarish scenario when some criminal steals or ransoms your client data. What will be their reaction to you when they find out? What would be your sudden drop in revenue? What costs would they incur and what would be your responsibility to them? You might very well be liable for their suffering.
Bottom line: if you haven’t started worrying about cybersecurity affecting your business, times have changed! Cybercrime has been growing over the past 10 years and continues to grow. Data breaches are reaching businesses large and small, from all verticals and geographies. There’s no avoiding the cyber risk anymore. And if you’re not actively planning for your business cybersecurity, you risk everything you and your team has worked for!
Contact us today to set up a cybersecurity planning session customized for the security and success of your organization.
