Cybersecurity checklist: Is your business at risk?

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One of the top things on the minds of today’s business leaders, board members and IT staff is the risk of what a cybersecurity event might bring to the business. More and more business leaders are asking the question: How do we protect ourselves? 

Business disruption, loss of revenue, loss of information and fear of public disclosure alongside changing public disclosure laws are all reasons why businesses are paying attention to cybersecurity.

And one of the difficult things about cybersecurity is that what needs to be done in what order is going to be different for every business.

It used to be that cybercriminals mainly went after larger companies, but that is no longer the case. Now, small and medium-sized businesses are the most likely target of these efforts. Why? Because cybercriminals know small and medium-sized companies are less likely to have multiple layers of security.

How can you protect your business?

CREATE A MULTI-LAYERED DEFENSE

A multi-layered defense is needed in order to stop a hacker from successfully infiltrating your network. Additional layers include things like application software security, account monitoring, boundary defense and data recovery capabilities.

With these extra layers in place, you’ll have many obstacles between the hackers and your companies’ information.

EDUCATE EMPLOYEES ON CYBER RISKS

One of the most common ways cyber attacks infiltrate small- and medium-sized businesses is by sending an email with a malware attachment. It only takes a single employee clicking that attachment to infect the entire company with malware.

With attackers growing more sophisticated every day, it’s more important than ever to ensure that your employees know how to spot these IT security breaches and understand how they need to respond in these situations.

INVEST IN BUSINESS IT SECURITY

True, there is a cost associated with protecting your business from cyber attacks like malware, phishing and ransomware, but it’s important to balance that cost with the very real possibility of being a target of cyber crime.

For instance, 60 percent of small businesses on the receiving end of a cyber attack end up going out of business in the first six months after the attack. And with many providers adjusting their IT security rates based on the number of employees, small businesses have the least amount to pay and, potentially, the most to lose.

Developing an IT security checklist for your organization will help build a solid foundation to protecting your organizations information.

You may be wondering where to start. Use this checklist for your own business and share it with other business owners, key stakeholders or IT department heads in your network. Access your free IT Security checklist at marconet.com/ITChecklist.

Dan Urzendowski is an IT Sales Manager at Marco. Marco specializes in business IT services, managed services, cloud services and copiers/printers. Its technology experts break down complex solutions into simple terms to position your business for success. Learn more at marconet.com.

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