Why we can no longer afford to ignore cyber security – words Alexa Wang
Starting a small creative business can be fun but also daunting with lots of highs and lows along the way. Time management can often go out of the window and it can often feel more like firefighting as emerging problems are dealt with. It’s a wild ride and it’s easy to ignore some urgent tasks, such as doing proper backups of your computer information and, of course, cyber security.
When you’re launching a company, there are so many things to think about that cyber security can often move to the bottom of the agenda. Of course, when the inevitable happens, crucial files are wiped, the email system is sabotaged then all hell breaks loose and the fingers start to point.
These days cyber security can no longer be a low priority. Cybercrime are increasing and getting more serious. In the US in 2018, the most notable breaches have occurred at Adidas, FedEx, Jason’s Deli, Macy’s, Under Armour, Nordstrom’s and most infamously, Facebook. But increasingly small and medium sized companies are being targeted, and not just the global corporations of this world.
It can seriously damage a company’s reputation and its bottom line. With that in mind, how can a start-up protect itself in the best way possible without it costing the earth?
Make sure you have a proper backup system. Cybercriminals can steal sensitive and confidential information and then demand a ransom to give it back – if you’re lucky. They could just wipe you out. Either way, it’s much less costly to decide on a system backup procedure.
Examine the entry points into your system and consider whether they are vulnerable to attack. This is not just your general office computers but also any other linked-in hardware such as employee mobile phones and linking communications. It’s easy to miss a recently added mobile but one weak link could leave your entire system open to attack.
Consider any system threats. This could be any client lists, passwords, data logs, backups and emails. Who has access to your system and to what level? It’s obviously smart to give access to the most vulnerable part of the system to few people as possible.
If you have the experience, try and access your system. Test it out for weaknesses. Another option is to employ a security expert to do this from Lynx Pro who specialise in IT professionals for cyber security. Businesses dealing with a lot of confidential information of both staff and clients are more at risk and should be careful when it comes to matters of cyber security. Alternatively, you could use a freelance service who can try and hack into your system in various ways to find what needs to be fixed.
These are measures you can carry out relatively easily and without much cost. Cyber security does take time and it’s annoying when you have so much more exciting things to do, especially when you’re starting out on a new business venture. Nowadays it is essential. Just imagine how gut-wrenching it would be if you were hacked and lost all your digital information? Better to bite the bullet and get it sorted
