Think you are too small

Think you are too small to be targeted by a cybercriminal? Think again.

When I meet with clients, especially SMBs, I often hear them say that they feel their business is too insignificant to be a target of cyber-criminals. Why would someone go after my business when there are bigger ones out there, making more money? Here are a few reasons why.

  1. Because you think so – The fact that you think you are safe makes you more vulnerable, because you are not prepared for the eventualities that arise from an attack. Most SMBs I interact with don’t have a well-defined plan in place in terms of IT security
  2. Your staff is a gateway: Smaller businesses rarely conduct formal training sessions or provide information updates to their staff about the latest cyber threats. Such sessions are never a priority when the staff is too caught up with other ‘real’ work. As a result, your staff is more likely to fall for phishing messages and unknowingly become a gateway for cybercriminals to enter your organization.
  3. You work on shoestring budget: Many of my clients claim that they are strained for financial resources and would rather invest in growing their business than on something like preventive IT measures. Well, guess what? Cybercriminals know that too. They know that large corporations have multiple IT security layers in place that are difficult to penetrate. Your business, on the other hand, is a soft target for them since your investment in IT security is negligible.

What you can do to keep your business safe without straining your budget?

  1. Change your mindset- No business is too big or too small for cybercriminals. In fact, a data loss or data compromise is more likely to be fatal for a smaller business than a bigger one.
  2. Train your staff: Teach your staff to identify malicious links, spam, phishing messages, etc,. Send them Day Zero Alerts regularly that keep them updated about the latest threats in the cyberworld.
  3. Consider bringing a managed service provider onboard: Having an in-house IT department can be expensive and not always worth the cost. You can benefit from having a SLA with a managed service provider (MSP). This arrangement gives you the benefits of having a dedicated IT team at your disposal minus the headaches that come with having it in-house.

Don’t forget…it is only a matter of time before you become a victim.