“Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused by the unstable social and economic situation created by COVID-19.” – Jürgen Stock, Secretary-General, Interpol.
The agency’s findings highlight the urgent need for Cybersecurity measures for businesses, particularly small businesses. With most companies unable to protect themselves from sophisticated cyber-attacks, the need for security operation services is what emerging enterprises should consider.
With the advent of cloud computing and its growth spurred on due to the pandemic, the chances that your business network will be attacked amplifies manifold. That is why cybersecurity should be a priority.
Factors to be kept in mind
IT security is no laughing matter. On the contrary, it demands grave attention from business heads, which seldom happens due to complacency or unawareness. Here are a few things that should be keeping organizational leaders on their toes:
1. Malware and Ransomware – With an exponential increase in companies opting for the remote or hybrid work culture, the number of vulnerable devices has also grown. This makes unsecured devices prone to malware, virus, and ransomware attacks. Once successful, remediation and recovery are costly and time-taking.
2. Remote Work Environment – The pandemic hit businesses hard, forcing them to find alternatives to the tradition of working in offices. Most companies adopted the work from home option, but this resulted in a surge in endpoints susceptible to cybercrime attacks.
3. Cloud Infrastructure – According to a report by Flexera, 80% of companies have a hybrid cloud strategy. Whether private or public, Cloud IT infrastructure needs to be secured to protect confidential business data. Partnering with firms providing SOC services can prove incredibly beneficial for small and medium businesses (SMBs).
4. Security Skills Gap – The demand for IT security professionals is unprecedented in the current times. Cybersecurity experts either work in established companies or demand a very high amount that small businesses can’t afford. Managed cybersecurity services save a lot of operational expenditure while delivering enterprise-grade security services.
5. Compliance – Managed security service providers (MSSPs) help organizations comply with industry regulations such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, etc. However, hiring novice cybersecurity professionals can land your company in legal trouble.
The ideal approach
Businesses wanting to protect their market reputation and customer trust must take advantage of security operation services by MSPs to prevent data breaches, financial losses, and loss of brand authority.