With the prevalence of remote working and the benefits of storing your data in the cloud rather than a workplace server, keeping your network and data secure from cyber-attacks has never been more important. However, you can keep your network safe with our expert help and advice.

What are the risks from cyber threats?

Cyber threats can come in several different forms but tend to fall into the category of:

• Phishing attacks, such as targeting employees with bogus emails,
• Finding security loopholes, such as guessing someone’s password,
• Inserting malicious code into your network, such as a piece of ransomware that will freeze access to your data,
• Attacking third party suppliers or partners, which can affect your supply chain if their services are disrupted.

The risks from cyber-attacks are numerous but generally have the intention of either causing disruption or of accessing your sensitive data for financial gain, such as blackmailing a company into paying money to get access back to their data or threatening to publish sensitive information online.

This can not only have legal and financial ramifications, but it can also seriously damage a company’s reputation.

You may be questioning how likely is it that your company will be targeted but the recent GOV.uk ‘Cyber Security Breaches’ report stated that 39% of businesses last year identified that they had experienced a cyber-attack – and those are only the ones with the tools in place to identify that an attack had indeed occurred. Small businesses with low resources can also be seen as an easy target to cyber-criminals, knowing they do not have the internal resources of a large IT team to put strong cyber-security in place.

What steps can I take to be more cyber secure?

There are several steps that you can take to help protect your network. These can include:

• Configure 2FA on every platform, system or tool that supports it. A 2019 report from Microsoft concluded that 2FA blocks 99.9% of automated attacks – some of which may affect your business if you only have one barricade.
• Manage the levels of access to confidential or personal data. Only give the RIGHT people access to the RIGHT areas. Google Drive sharing options are often overlooked. You can share a file by URL to members outside of your organisation, and in turn that file is then available via Google Search results! When sharing confidential data, always make sure that you check the sharing options.
• Look at employee behaviour and attitude for any weaknesses. If certain employees aren’t changing their password regularly enough, or are reluctant to do so, this could be a sign that they are a potential weakness in your business’ cyber security.
• Assess your infrastructure for vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. Of course, the problem is there are so many tools and systems to monitor, safeguard and resolve any issues for, that it can be difficult for a small in-house IT department to manage.

Here’s how we can help

Many companies are now looking towards IT Support Experts to help manage their cyber security. At Cubit, we take time to understand your needs and obligations before offering a solution. Starting with an audit of your existing systems (hardware, software, and internal processes) we build a picture of your current security posture. We then identify priority areas for improvement and, where needed, help implement solutions.

Cyber security needn’t be difficult when you have the support of an expert team to advise you! We know your schedule is busy, and that’s why we offer a 30-minute free consultation where we can discuss your needs, concerns and any IT or tech challenges your business may have.

Get in touch to take control of your business’ cyber security today: https://cubittech.com/contact-us/