Remember when cyber security was something only IT workers knew about? That’s no longer the case now that bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies have become more popular and many organizations have embraced digital transformation. These days, it seems like everyone is aware of cyber security issues. And if they aren’t, their systems could be compromised.
First and foremost, it is much more cost effective to spend money on prevention than it is to spend it on cleanup. However, too many organizations don’t heed this advice and wind up paying for it in the end. A recent study by Ponemon Institute found that with cyber attacks on the rise, particularly ransomware attacks — which have doubled in frequency — a malware attack costs companies an average of $2.4 million.
Furthermore, Ponemon’s report found that it takes approximately 50 days to recover from a malicious insider attack and 23 days to recover from a ransomware attack. But it’s not just big companies that are getting hit. Ponemon found that small organizations are being targeted by phishing and social engineering attacks at an increasingly alarming rate.
Invest, Companywide
Investing in a long-term policy to prevent your system from being hacked should involve all aspects of your organization. Bring everyone onboard with a cyber security training program that involves important topics such as:
- Security best practices
- How to spot phishing activities
- How to back up data
- How to encrypt data
- Best practices for password management
- How to protect personal, sensitive, and important information
Remember, cyber criminals continue to evolve in the ways they break into your system. This means your training has to be an ongoing process that constantly evolves to address the latest trends. It’s not a “set it and forget it” scenario — security deserves a frequent refresher course.
Building Teams
Your security policies should be revisited frequently, too, so it’s important to have someone focus on this regularly. Ideally, this should be an employee who has help from key people in other departments who can help guide the policy and define the structure of your cyber security strategy. Agreeing upon guidelines and policies at this level will set an example your employees should follow to establish a safer, more productive work environment.
At Access One, we focus on providing the best customer services for modern technology solutions. Find out more about how we can assist your organization by contacting us today.
