Is It Worth Waiting for Something Bad to Happen?

You've thought it before: "that won't happen to me." It's how humans get through most of their days without crippling fear. But when it comes to your business and its cybersecurity, this kind of blithe naivete can prove costly.

It's estimated that 46% of users lose data each year. Yet businesses may not invest in proactive data backup. They think data loss won't impact them or don't know how to back up in the first place.

Still, backup is more affordable and accessible than data recovery after the fact.

Any business in any industry is at risk of a data breach. It can come from an unintentional human error on the inside. Maybe someone means to send a sensitive spreadsheet to a colleague and sends it "reply all." Oh no! Members of the press and the public were on that email thread!

Then, there are cybercriminals working diligently to attack vulnerable organizations. Sometimes they do it to obtain data they can sell, or they might install ransomware to charge you money to regain access to your data. They could also hack you to try to get to a bigger target in your supply chain.

Bad guys' motivation aside, a data breach will hurt your business. Suffering a data breach can lead to:

• extensive interruption of business operations;
• financial losses;
• damaged business reputation;
• compliance and regulatory issues and fines.

In short, it's not worth the risk of paying for data recovery, data breaches or ransomware. You can invest a lot less upfront to protect your data.

Prevent the Worst from Happening

Keeping your business safe from cyberscams and other risks is essential. Do it in advance. Take preventative measures to avoid the larger cost of cleaning up a cyber mess after it happens.

Invest in a solution that will manage all your software and system updates. Keep your system up to date with patch management to close weaknesses criminals might exploit.

You'll also want to install a firewall to block any brute-force attacks made on your network. Secure any endpoints connecting to your network from outside the firewall, as well. If employees connect remotely using mobile devices, tablets, and laptops, this means you.

Also, invest in data backup. Having your data backed up can help you avoid serious downtime and give you more control in a ransomware situation.

Staying current on all the ways to protect your business from cybercrime can be overwhelming, but don't deny the problem. Yes, a data breach could happen to you, and it costs so much more to deal with after the fact.

Be proactive by partnering with a managed service provider (MSP). For a fixed monthly cost, an MSP can take on your patch management and ensure data backups. We can help you maintain a high level of protection against threats. Contact us today at 903-347-0073.