Businesses
Once upon a time, cybersecurity threats were considered a rare event. In fact, it didn’t seem that long ago that the Sony Pictures and Target news headlines shocked the nation. But that was only 7-8 years ago. Since then, cybersecurity threats have become a daily occurrence. But how did it get this out of hand?
Cybersecurity Threats and Atlanta Small Business
Small- and medium-sized businesses have become the low-hanging fruit for cybercriminals. Cybercriminals know that the vast majority of small businesses are unprepared and ignore current cybersecurity threats. However, the three biggest cybersecurity threats to small businesses include:
- Atlanta’s Small Businesses are Unprepared – For years, companies did not heed the warning of cybersecurity threats. In fact, they applied all their technology budgets toward increased efficiency and productivity to increase profits. As a result, the cost of breaches greatly exceeded the required investment.
- Atlanta Small Business to theNot MeApproach – The Not Me belief is another reason cybersecurity got so out of control. Many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) buried their head in the sand and assumed they were too small for anyone to care about their data or that their data would not matter to anyone but them. This ignorance led to vulnerable networks that were ripe for cyberattack harvesting.
- Cybercriminal Sophistication – The last and probably the most critical factor is the level of sophistication of cybercriminals. Cybercriminals are smart. They are often the first to buy firewalls and cybersecurity software to expose their weaknesses. In addition, they are also very resourceful and often buy, sell, and share data cybersecurity secrets and compromised data on the dark web.
The combination of these three things led to the significant takeover of cybercriminal attacks.
Minimum Cybersecurity Theft Prevention for Small Atlanta Businesses
At a minimum, you should invest in spam filtering, antivirus, firewalls, monitoring service, and end-user training.
- SPAM Filtering – an essential tool every small business should get is spam filtering. This blocking software can filter out foreign emails and potential viruses. This is important because the majority of phishing or scam emails come from abroad. Suppose you do conduct business outside the United States. In that case, you need to know most cybersecurity threats come from Pakistan, China, Russia, India, UK, Saudi Arabia, Estonia, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Lithuania.
- Antivirus–it is vital to have a current version of antivirus software. This software prevents, detects, and removes current malicious malware. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, MDR is well worth the extra cost.
- Firewall–It is advised to get a new name-brand firewall, like SonicWall and Cisco Meraki, every 3-5 years. Firewalls are an additional way to block viruses, worms, spam, and other unwanted Internet traffic and log unwanted intrusion attempts.
- Monitoring – IT Support Monitoring is a tool that allows the provider to set up alerts, patch, report, automate, program custom scripting, catch issues early on, and prevent future problems.
- End-User Training & Testing– Your end-users clicking habits are your biggest vulnerability. However, there are ways to take control. Use this article to help train your employees on how to spot phishing emails. If you are still unsure about your phishing vulnerabilities, find out more about phishing tests here.
Is it Time to Jumpstart Your Cybersecurity Program?
Every company is different, and your company’s risks are different. That’s why you need your own independent cybersecurity SWOT review to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Innovative Network Systems, Inc.’s (INSI) Secure-IT program can help you understand and secure your company’s specific cybersecurity threats. Secure-IT includes:
- Security Audits
- Prevent-IT Network Security Vulnerability Assessments
- Semi-Annual Cyber Security Maintenance
- Biannual Penetration Tests
- Phish-IT Phishing Email Tests
- Quarterly Cyber Security Checks
- Training
- AV-IT – Antivirus Monitoring
- Web Content Filtering
- Web Protection
- Stop-IT SPAM Filtering
Choose the Best MSP in Atlanta and Marietta
INSI has highly qualified, experienced, and college-educated engineers that keep up-to-date on current technology. We have equipped them with the best technology tools and processes to ensure our service and your ability to remain productive are consistent and dependable. If you would like to have a top IT support company that keeps you productive and covers all the IT basics, contact us at 770-387-2424 option 2 to speak with one of our IT support consultants.
About the Author
Deborah Frazier is the author of IT Outsourcing Secrets – A Small Business Guide to Compare IT Support Companies. With 20-years’ experience consulting small and medium-sized businesses on their IT support needs, she brings a wealth of knowledge to INSI as Head of Marketing and Sales. If you like this article and would like to get notified when a new article is posted, click here.
