There is an old saying that goes something like, “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.” Well, we don’t think that a business owner should be asking his or her clients for forgiveness for a ransomware attack when their security walls have been breached and the customer’s personal and private information has been exposed to a hacker. We want to explain why you need to have a proactive cybersecurity strategy in place.

Being reactive will cost you money, time, clients, loss of your reputation and even your livelihood. Can you afford that? Can you afford to pay ransom to a hacker who has infiltrated your network? We roll our eyes at the two recent ransomware attacks in which the business owners paid the ransom. Just because you pay the ransom and are able to get back into your system doesn’t mean:

1. There isn’t still ransomware lurking
2. That the client data hasn’t been exposed
3. That you can recover

Why You Need To Have A Proactive Cyber Security & Ransomware Strategy

Ransomware is taking over the landscape and wreaking havoc – with our fuel lines and now in the meat industry. Hackers are evolving and their methods are more and more sophisticated than ever before.

You don’t want to think that losing sleep at night is the new normal for business owners – it’s not and it shouldn’t be. What you need to do is be proactive, not reactive. Have a defense strategy in place to protect you from potential hackers.

Keep in mind that NO business is TOO SMALL for a hacker to concern him or herself with. Your small business is likely more vulnerable simply because you think you’re immune. Hackers like the big fish but they also take delight in going after small fish even though it’s easy.

If you’d like to remain reactive to a cyber attack then please make sure you have (on average) $200,000 extra dollars lying around to pay the ransom, get back on line and do damage control. Believe me, it costs much, much more than $200,000 average – that is just what’s being reported. Many organizations brush the attacks under the rug hoping it won’t come to light. They will.

Give Seth Melendez, president of WareGeeks Solutions a call and discuss how you can shift the security strategy you and your IT team have been using from being reactive to being proactive. It may be easier than you think and the time you put in now will pay off later. You can equate this proactive measure to how you pay for insurance for your home or your vehicle – you hope you never have to use it but thank goodness you have it when you have an accident or your home burns down.

Bottom line: The increase in software and network vulnerabilities and the increase in cyberattacks means you need to have a layered approach to your security. Multiple layers of security means it will take longer for a hacker to potentially breach your defenses BUT even more important, a breach in one layer will signal an alert to “all hands on deck” to prevent the attack from progressing.

Cybersecurity tips:

1. Train IT staff and employees
2. Implement consequences for ignoring company protocols
3. Look to an outside source for a cybersecurity audit
4. Gain clarity on potential threats and ensure there are endpoint technologies in place to protect your business
5. Implement cybersecurity best practices
6. Schedule an appointment to discuss your unique cybersecurity needs

If you’re not certain whether your business data is protected, you need to reach out to a cybersecurity expert who can perform a risk assessment and let you know where potential data breaches may occur and work with you to address them.