There are many opportunities for businesses today.  With the economy thriving and disposable incomes increasing we see success at every corner.  However, where you see opportunities you will also see threats.

There will always be the threat from a new competitor or the threat of losing a customer and these are hard to control   However, when it comes to IT Security threats there are quite a few things you can do to protect your business.

Here we look at the 4 biggest information security threats for businesses today:

Cyber Attack

Many smaller businesses will not have a formal IT expert or department and will not have the knowledge to put in place even basic internet security measures.  The cybercriminal will know this and this vulnerability leaves many Irish companies open to attack.  An easy target will be what they will look for.   The cost of an attack can not only cost a significant amount of money; in certain circumstances it could close a business down.  Having the right layers of security for your business will in many cases prevent the attack and at worst, will get you back up and running should it occur.

Data Breach

With more information being held and processed than ever before it’s no wonder that GDPR was introduced recently.   Having your company and client information secure is now not only important – it is law.  A data breach can occur during an attack but in many cases it will be simple human error by a staff member.  No matter how it occurs it can lead to issues costing time and money.  The right technology and systems in place will make this occurrence less likely to happen, giving management peace of mind day to day.

Mobile Devices

Very few employees sit at a PC from nine until five each day.  With the modern mobile office, we are often checking emails on our phone, inputting information into a tablet to transmit back to the office or even working on our laptops in hotels and airports while on the move.  Again this leads to vulnerabilities if the correct security systems are not in place.  Encryption and other forms of security measures will protect users, devices, network and data.  Allowing the team to work freely and be more effective than before.

Natural Disruption

Taking away threats from those horrible hackers, we must then consider the real world.  Natural disasters can be every bit as devastating and hard to predict for business owners.   When storms happen then power can go out.  We have no control over the weather but we can put in place systems to ensure workers can still continue and data is not lost.   When technology is not enabling you to get your work done it will be frustrating at the least and affect the overall revenue of the business at worst.

No matter what the threat to your business is, once you recognise it and put in place some plans to minimise the risk then you are doing all you can.  When it comes to IT threats you need to speak to an expert team so call us today to see how we can minimise your threats and let you raise your opportunities.

A recent report stated that cybercrime in Ireland is double global levels.

Businesses of all sizes and in all sectors have been affected.  Looking at these trends, those cyber-attacks are only going to increase in the coming years.

Devastating Costs

Traditional crimes such as burglary or arson will have a detrimental effect on any business.  However, the costs of computer crime can be even higher and more devastating in many ways.

All size businesses must assess their risks individually.  It’s been shown that the chances of a smaller business having a breach is much greater and the likelihood of them making a full recovery is a lot less.  Why?  Because they don’t have the infrastructure in place to both protect them from attack and help them recover should such a disaster occur.

More Information

Both the attacks and risk of attack have been there for some time but there has never been so much processing and storage of information as there is today.  There is also more dependency on IT systems and therefore cyber crime has become very lucrative.  The hackers know the high impact they can create on a business.  Their knowledge is growing and the attacks are increasingly becoming more sophisticated.

It’s not just something related to the ‘computer systems going down’, it could be the business going down the drain.   An attack can mean loss of data and downtime which in turn could affect your business negatively.  Losing customers, loss of revenue and damage to reputation are all scary notions. There may be an impact on cash flow, possible fines for regulations broken and higher premiums for insurance at the least.

How to Protect

Having the correct processes in place to help prevent that attack is the first priority.  This will include having the right software to identify an issue and prevent it.  User training is also a key part of protecting your business, informing staff on simple safety measures they can implement.  And having a plan in place should a disaster occur so you can recover quickly from it and ensure business continuity.

You need to have a plan in place and you need expert advice for that.  Don’t leave your business open to attack, talk to the team at DNA IT Solutions to see how we can help.