Cybersecurity is no longer an option but a necessity for all businesses. Companies are highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and data breaches in an age where technology governs most aspects of our lives.
According to Forbes, $2,900,000 is lost to cybercrime every minute. That works out to be $171,000,000 per hour and $3.5 billion per day! According to the Cyberthreat Defense Report, 86.2 percent of surveyed organizations were impacted by a successful cyberattack.
With the sheer number of attacks increasing each day, businesses must take all measures to safeguard themselves from hackers and other cybercriminals.
As per a study, one in three small businesses rely on free consumer cybersecurity, and one in five use no endpoint protection at all (Source: PRWeb).
In this regard, cybersecurity is a must-have for every business. And if you are finding the best cyber security and penetration testing companies then you need to visit Cyphere. Moreover, here is a list of the importance of cybersecurity in business:
Top 10 Prominent Importance of Cybersecurity in Business
1. It Can Protect Your Business Reputation
Did you know that? Between 2014 and 2019, there was a 67 percent increase in security breaches. (Accenture)
Furthermore, a data breach can severely impact your company’s reputation. Most businesses do not consider the consequences of a data breach until they occur.
In fact, 60% of companies that suffer from a security incident go out of business within six months. The following are some possible effects of a data breach:
- Customers leave your business
- Your company’s stock price falls
- The government fines you.
- Your business is blocklisted.
- You are the subject of negative media attention.
Moreover, to avoid such loss of your reputation, cyber security should be your top priority. It can help you protect your customers, company, and data.
2. Protects Personal Info From Hackers
Your company’s data is not the only at risk during a cyber-attack. Personal information of your employees and customers is also vulnerable.
When hackers obtain such personal information, they can use it to commit crimes such as identity theft, fraud, and extortion.
Thus, cybersecurity can help protect your employees, your customers, and you from all kinds of cyber-attacks. Besides, some app development companies turn to blockchain technology to create more secure systems.
For example, the blockchain principle of decentralization can create a secure system that does not rely on a central authority. Besides, this would make it difficult for hackers to penetrate the system and steal data.
Surprisingly, there are around 68 million blockchain wallet users as of February 2021. As new blockchain wallets and cryptocurrencies are released to the market, the number continues to rise, with Bitcoin leading the charge with a market worth of $928.50 billion.
3. Allows Employees to Work Safely From Anywhere
With the increasing use of cloud services, company data is accessible via any device. This makes it easy for employees to work securely from anywhere.
This, however, raises the risk of cyber-attacks because employees can easily download malware onto their devices if they are not cautious.
Cybersecurity can help protect your company’s data by providing security features such as password protection and firewalls. It can also help you monitor employee activity to identify any suspicious behavior.
4. Protects Productivity and Efficiency
Cybersecurity can also protect your company’s productivity and efficiency. Thinking how? Here are some ways:
- It provides a safe environment for communication and collaboration
- It allows faster access to files, apps, and websites for employees
- Employees can easily share data in an organization via the Internet
- Employees can work from any location without fear of security or connectivity issues.
All of these factors together can improve the productivity and efficiency of your employees. Moreover, they can help your business increase its revenue in a way you may not have thought was possible.
5. Stop Your Website from Going Down
One of the most common ways hackers gain access to your company’s data is by attacking your website. They do this by flooding your website with traffic until it crashes.
This is known as a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, which can be very costly for your business. Besides, it can take a while to recover from such an attack, and your customers may not stick around for that long.
Well, in that situation, you could use a cybersecurity solution such as a web application firewall (WAF) to protect your website from such attacks. It can help stop the traffic and keep your website up and running.
Besides, you can take the help of a website development company for website security solutions. Their professionals can help you set up a WAF and other factors to protect your website.
6. Protection from Malicious Software and External Attackers
Malicious software, or malware, is a significant threat to your company’s data. Hackers can install this software on your devices to steal your data or hijack your system.
Some common types of malware include
- Viruses: These programs can replicate themselves and spread from one computer to another.
- Worms: These are self-replicating programs that can damage or take over a computer system.
- Trojans: These are malware masquerades as legitimate software but are designed to harm your computer.
- Spyware: This software is installed on a computer to track users’ activities.
- Adware: This is software that displays ads on the user’s computer.
Also, phishing is a scam in which a hacker sends out fake emails purporting to be from a legitimate organization, such as a credit card company or bank. The goal is to trick the user into disclosing sensitive information, such as login credentials.
According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report, phishing activities resulted in 32% of data breaches last year.
If any of these threats affect your company, you can take the help of a cybersecurity solution to guard your devices. Solutions such as antivirus software, firewalls, and anti-phishing software can help to detect malware and protect your devices from external attackers.
Besides, technology like IoT, AI, and machine learning is used to fight against cyber-attacks. For instance, machine learning algorithms can identify and block malicious traffic. So, make sure you use the latest technology to protect your company’s data.
7. Support Your IT Expertise and Infrastructure
Like most businesses, you don’t have the in-house expertise to deal with cybersecurity threats. This is where a good cybersecurity solution comes in handy. It can provide you with the tools and support you need to protect your company’s data.
It can also help to improve your IT infrastructure by providing features such as:
- Centralized management and reporting
- Automated detection and response
- Integration with other security solutions
- Deployment as a service
These features can help improve your IT department’s efficiency and effectiveness. They can help you better manage your company’s IT network and infrastructure.
8. Inspire Confidence in Your Customers
Having good cybersecurity solutions in place can help to inspire confidence in your customers. They will know that you are taking the necessary steps to protect their data and privacy.
This can be very important, especially in today’s age where data breaches are becoming more common. Moreover, customers want to do business with companies they can trust and have good cybersecurity practices in place.
Remember, customer trust is a powerful asset, and it can be very beneficial to your business. As a result, make every effort to safeguard your customers’ data.
These are some of the advantages of cybersecurity in business. Now, let’s figure out what cybersecurity challenges companies are facing today.
What Are The Challenges of Cybersecurity That Many Business Owners Face?
The cybersecurity challenges that business owners face include the following:
- The increasing number of cyber threats.
- The lack of skilled professionals to protect networks and data.
- The vulnerability of connected systems and devices.
- The limited understanding of cyber risks by many business owners.
- The cost of implementing effective cybersecurity measures.
- The potential damage to a company’s reputation if its digital assets are compromised.
- The difficulty of clarifying responsibility for security breaches when they happen.
- Government regulation often is unclear, conflicting, or only slowly coming into effect, leaving companies vulnerable to penalties for non-compliance or slow response times
So, how to strengthen your cybersecurity efforts and keep your business safe.
Ten Ways to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity
You can improve your cybersecurity efforts and keep your business safe by doing many things. Here are a few pointers to get you started:
1. Educate on Password Best Practices
Well, you may agree- using strong passwords is one of the most effective ways to protect your data.
Come up with a password policy that will help you and your employees use strong passwords. Ensure that each employee knows about this policy and what they need to comply with.
Passwords should be at least ten characters long, contain a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, and should not be based on personal information.
Besides, basic username/password authentication limitations have been the most visible manifestations of this paradigm shift. Therefore, when asked to name the most crucial security investment during the pandemic, multi-factor authentication was the top response (MFA).
2. Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is the ultimate security feature that helps to protect your data. It requires two different methods of identifying yourself before logging in to a system.
This means that you will need more than just your username and password to access the system. This makes it harder for potential attackers since they need more information to access your data.
3. Regularly Train on Email and Social Media Threats
Email and social media threats are among the top cyber security concerns for businesses. You can reduce these concerns by regularly training your employees to identify phishing emails, suspicious links, and fake profiles.
Ensure that all your employees know what to do if they receive an email or encounter something suspicious on social media. Likewise, they should also know how to report any suspicious activity. Moreover, here are the top cybersecurity training topics your employee must be aware of.
4. Monitor Data Traffic and Network Activity
Monitoring data traffic and network activity are one of the best ways to strengthen your cybersecurity efforts. This will help you to identify vulnerabilities that attackers may try to exploit.
Use software tools that allow you to monitor data packets, sort through large amounts of network data, and track user activity.
5. Use a VPN For All Remote Employees
If you have remote employees, you should require them to use a VPN whenever they connect to your network. This will help protect their data and keep it safe from potential attackers.
A VPN creates a secure connection between the employee’s device and the company’s network. Besides, this makes it harder for anyone to steal or access the data.
According to a Malware bytes survey, approximately 36% of their 2,330 respondents use a VPN as of January 2021, up from only 1.5 percent ten years ago (in 2011). The company also discovered that 58 percent of those who did not use a VPN were aware of what a VPN was.
6. Implement a Data Loss Prevention Solution
A data loss prevention solution can assist you in keeping track of your organization’s sensitive data. Additionally, you can find an easy way to trace the location and status of all critical information in your firm more efficiently.
Regularly review reports generated by the software to monitor who is looking at this information. You should also have a proper security system to protect this data.
7. Conduct Regular Scans of Your Computers
It’s critical to check your computers for malware and other viruses frequently. This will assist you in identifying and responding to any potential security threats.
Regular scans will also help to keep your computer system running smoothly and protect your data from being accessed by unauthorized users.
8. Emphasize the Importance of Information Security
You agree or disagree; it is critical to impress your employees on the importance of information security. They must understand the significance of protecting the company’s data and why it is crucial to adhere to the password policy, use two-factor authentication, and report any suspicious activity.
Your employees should also know the consequences of not following these security measures. Ensure that they understand what could happen if they don’t comply and how this can affect their job.
9. Consider Using a Virtual Data Room
Well, if you are worried about the security of your company’s data, a virtual data room can be a good option. This is a safe online location where you can keep your company’s private information.
The data room is password-protected, and only authorized users can access it. Besides, this makes it a safe and secure place to store your company’s sensitive data.
10. Regularly Back Up Your Data
It is critical to back up your data regularly to recover it if lost or corrupted. This will help protect your data from being lost or stolen in the event of a cyber attack.
Ensure that you have a good backup plan in place and back up your data regularly.
Furthermore, follow these tips to help improve your company’s cybersecurity posture. Remember that it is essential to stay vigilant and take steps to protect your data from potential attackers. To know more about personal data protection rights, please visit FortifID.
What Are Different Use Cases of Cybersecurity In Business?
Various use cases of cybersecurity in business include the following:
- Data security to avoid the loss of sensitive data such as customer records and financial information while adhering to HIPAA and GDPR standards.
- Access control to grant or revoke access to a specific person or group of people authorized to view or modify specific data.
- Network security protects the network from unauthorized access, prevents data loss, and protects against malware and other online threats.
- Email security protects email communications from intercepting or accessing unauthorized third parties.
- Disaster recovery and business continuity planning ensure that the business can resume operations as quickly as possible in a cyberattack or data loss.
- Regulatory compliance to ensure that the company complies with government regulations related to cybersecurity.
- Fraud prevention protects the company from financial losses due to fraudulent activities such as credit card fraud and identity theft.
- Employee training to educate employees about cyber threats and how to respond when they encounter them.
- Hardware solutions such as network security appliances to protect systems, networks, users, data, and email.
- Methods of user authentication that combine factors such as something the user knows (a password or PIN), something the user has (an access card or token), and something the user is (a fingerprint) (a biometric identifier such as a fingerprint)
Now, what next?
What Is The Future of Cybersecurity In 2022 & Beyond?
The future of cybersecurity is constantly changing and evolving. As new threats emerge, the need for better security measures also increases.
Companies need to be prepared for anything and have a robust cybersecurity plan. This will help protect them from potential attacks and keep their data safe and secure.
Now, here are five trends that are expected to have a significant impact on the cybersecurity landscape by 2025:
1. Information Access Will Be Built Around Trust
The requirement for trust will become increasingly critical as more data is exchanged online. To access sensitive information, people will need to be verified and authorized. This means that companies will need to invest in trust-based authentication systems.
2. AI & Machine Learning Will Be Used To Detect Attacks
Machine learning is already being used to detect and prevent cyberattacks. With the help of AI, companies will quickly and accurately identify threats. This will help improve security strategies and protect against future attacks.
3. IoT Will Present New Challenges
It will be tough to safeguard all of the billions of gadgets connected to the internet. The weaknesses in IoT devices will be exploited by cybercriminals who use them to conduct attacks.
4. Blockchain Will Be More Widely Used
Blockchain is an effective distributed database used to record and track transactions. It is secure and tamper-proof, making it an ideal solution for online security. It will be more widely used in the future to protect data and transactions. So, it is perfect to hire blockchain developer who has in-depth knowledge of this modern technology.
5. Cloud Security Will Be Critical
Cloud security will become more critical as firms migrate more activities to the cloud. Cloud providers will need to provide robust security measures to protect their customers. Cybersecurity will be one of the most important factors when choosing a cloud provider.
The future of cybersecurity is exciting and full of possibilities. Companies need to be prepared for the challenges ahead and ensure that their data is safe and secure. By implementing the latest technologies and strategies, they can protect themselves against cyberattacks and maintain their competitive edge.
Conclusion
These were some key takeaway points discussed in the article on cybersecurity. By following the tips mentioned, companies can improve their security posture and protect themselves from potential attacks.
Moreover, cybersecurity is a critical part of any business and should not be taken lightly. The risks are high, and the consequences can be devastating. It is essential to stay vigilant and take steps to protect your data from potential attackers.
Besides, if you seek help from the best IT consulting company in India like PixelCrayons, they can help you implement the best cybersecurity practices.
They will provide an end-to-end solution and allow you to focus on your core business activities without worrying too much about cyber attacks. So, stay secure and implement these tips today!
