It’s easy to assume that cyber-attacks only happen to big businesses because the media makes it seem as such. We’ve all heard about hacks happening to companies and organizations like
Britain’s National Health Service, Virgin America, Yahoo, Equifax, and the Central Intelligence Agency. That’s right. Even the organization meant to uncover and destroy viruses and malware was hacked, resulting in a massive leak of confidential data.
Start by asking yourself these questions to determine whether you’re doing enough to protect your company’s data. Are you using technology like firewalls, antivirus scanning programs, and email spam catchers? Do you have a specific person or department dedicated to your cybersecurity? Are all your employees given the information they need to protect their machines from cyber-attacks? Do you strictly enforce your password policies? If the answer to any of these questions is no, your level of protection is likely leaving you vulnerable to threats. Only a small percentage of SMB employees feel they have a highly-effective cybersecurity system in place, which means you are not alone. A primary concern is budget, with statistics showing that nearly
63 percent of SMB employees believe their company doesn’t have adequate funds to protect their data. This leads to businesses lacking in team members whose primary focus is security.
Sixty-two percent of employees say they don't have an in-house team dedicated to cybersecurity.
The Numbers
You can bet that if these massive organizations with millions invested in cybersecurity are vulnerable, your SMB is too. In fact, according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2017 State of Cybersecurity in Small & Medium-Sized Businesses report, 61 percent of SMBs were hit with a cyber-attack in 2017 and 54 percent experienced a data breach. That means there is a 61 percent or higher chance your SMB is at risk, and losses can be anywhere from $2,000 to $1 million. So now the question is, are you prepared?Your Cybersecurity