Featured article by John Mery
Cyber attacks have been continuously increasing in frequency for more than a decade, but so has human dependence on the internet, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Cyber security has also grown in unison, but last year cyber attacks cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion. The monetary aspect isn’t only relative to attacks that focus on actual theft of digital currency, but also attacks that cause companies to close their proverbial internet doors to fix, causing downtime in commercial availability.
The public sector is no different, and cyber attacks remain one of the largest threats to national security. The COVID pandemic also started a trend of more ecommerce, and that trend is supposed to continue even after the virus finally stops spreading. With all of these things in mind, there’s never been a more important time to ramp up your cybersecurity capabilities, and here is a look at a few ways you can protect your business and 5 programs to invest in.
Team Awareness
The leading factor for breached cyber security is still poor practices from individuals responsible for keeping a network secure. Encouraging your team (and yourself) to regularly change passwords on their devices and home networks, as well as adding some of the software below, should be a part of your monthly training curriculum, if not weekly.
Team Knowledge
Depending on the size of your team, or your own availability, having someone with professional-level education in cybersecurity is a good idea both internally, and when discussing your business with potential clients. There are a slew of cybersecurity certifications, and depending on your business model, one of these certs could save you countless hours and dollars.
Softwares to Invest In
Intruder
If your business is following the trend of more flexibility for employees to work remotely, a cloud-based vulnerability scanner is pretty much a must. And for those businesses who do any ecommerce, it’s still highly recommended. Intruder is one of the most popular, and has three different levels to fit most small business budgets.
Vipre
Vipre is a cybersecurity program with very affordable annual costs that protect you and your team’s computers from viruses, ransomware, and other forms of cyber attacks. It also uses machine learning artificial intelligence to evolve with the ever-evolving digital threats that exist. It is considered very user-friendly, and markets to sole proprietors as much as it does small teams.
Lifelock
Lifelock is one of the newest offerings from cybersecurity mogul, Norton 360, which has been providing computer and device protection for 30 years. Lifelock provides all of the basics of antivirus protection, and also allows for ID verification services. Considered one of the best tools against ID theft, this is another inexpensive but effective option for a remote work team.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is a good cybersecurity option for more tech-forward companies, but is a touch more hands-on than some others on this list. It provides real-time data protection and is also touted for its social network protections and online banking options. It is very much an all-inclusive service, and worth looking into for anyone who is a tech head and wants extra-modern security.
Mimecast
Email attacks are still one of the leading means of hacking, and with things like deepfake technology making it easier and easier to pose as someone else online, the importance of protection for you and your team members’ email can’t be understated. It is cloud-based and provides real-time security and blocking services against all kinds of email attacks.
Stay Adamant
In addition to staying current with your technology and training, it’s important to inform yourself on any and all hacking trends, as the market is quick to respond and an easy upgrade could save you a lot of money!
