‘Tis the gift giving season. While you might be busy checking others off your holiday list, it’s important for you to remember one very deserving recipient – your business. On this year’s hot list for small businesses: Cyber security consulting.

How secure will your business be during the clinking of champagne glasses and singing of Auld Lang Syne? Will all of your sensitive business data continue to be securely stored when you arrive at work in the New Year and in the 52 weeks to come?

If you’re not sure how safe your business intelligence is, now is the time to think about putting a big red ribbon an important and potentially money saving gift this holiday season. Here’s why.

78% of Organizations Have Suffered a Data Breach

That shocking statistic from Ponemon Institute and TrendMicro proves that companies of all sizes are vulnerable. It also shows just how active hackers are these days – and the matter is only getting worse.

A few months ago, the Equifax data breach struck people around the world causing many business owners to freeze their credit reports and keep a laser focus on what went in and out of their bank accounts. One business owner we heard from got notice of a $650,000 withdrawl from her business account at 8 p.m. on a Wednesday night. She immediately had to shift focus away from productivity to get that money back.

Hacks like this aren’t unheard of, although most happen on a much smaller scale. Although you can’t ever be fully protected from outside risk, there are certain things you can give to your business now to improve your security in the New Year and beyond.

Train Your Employees

Cybercriminals steal approximately $1 billion annually from US and European small businesses every year, according to SC Magazine. Many times, the entry point isn’t through a data server; it’s through an employee’s negligence. A click on a malicious link from a seemingly innocent email can send your business into a tailspin.

With cyber security consulting for your small business, you can train your team on how to identify these threats, so there’s less opportunity for the bad guys to access your sensitive information.

Up The Protection Ante

When was the last time you looked at your cyber security architecture? When was the last time you evaluated the programs you have in place to protect the data stored on your servers? If it’s been awhile, you might have a few outdated systems that could be leaving you at risk.

Calling in a cyber security expert can help you analyze what you need and what you don’t. It’ll help you identify holes in your current approach, so you’re not leaving your business to chance.

Think Again About Your Device Policy

I get it. It’s easier and cheaper to operate with a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy at work. Employees like it because they can use only one computer or mobile device to keep in touch with the office. Still, these policies expose your business to attacks that, if not approached correctly, could be disastrous.

Before you nix the BYOD policy altogether, bring on someone who is an expert in these types of attacks that can analyze how you’re operating and where you’re exposing your business to danger. The longer you keep your personal devices unsecure, the more at risk you put your business.

Backup Your Data

I can’t stress this enough. Having a solid solution for backing up your data is one of the best things you can do to protect your business. There are several reasons for this.

The most obvious reason is that backing up your data means you have your most private business information in the event of a loss.

The lesser obvious reason lies in how that loss happens and when. For example, if you arrive at work one morning to find your business has been attacked by ransomware (which happens at a shockingly high rate to small businesses in Tucson and around the country), you could face days or weeks of downtime. This in turn could mean lost sales, lost future business, and in many cases, the shutting down of your business all together.

This isn’t something to mess with. By having your business data backed up on a regular basis, you’re able to restore it quickly in case of an attack, keeping you profitable.

Ready to Schedule a Cyber Security Consultation?

Give your business the gift of security this holiday season. In doing so, you could be giving yourself and your employees the gift of continued growth and uptime, which could be the difference between having a job and losing a job.

We’re here to help. Call us to schedule your consultation and learn more about how you can stay protected.