There is a worrying number of business owners who have failed to grasp the need for proper security software in their business, and they are very much at risk. I was discussing this point with Bharat Bhise HNA analyst and cybersecurity expert at a tech conference in Dallas last month, and he told me some incredible statistics about the number of business owners who don’t have security software in place, or who have dated software. Both of this situations are cause for concern and if you fall into this group of people then here is exactly why you have to ensure that you are protected.
Annual Change
There is a constant game of cat and mouse being played by the security companies and the criminals and for every new piece of security software which is created, the cybercriminals look to get around it. This is why software is constantly being updated and rebuilt. If you have a software suite from 2017, it is going to be pretty much redundant in 2019.
Attacks Happen
You may have seen attacks on high profile companies like Macys or VISA and anticipated that the only people who should worry about this are the big companies, this isn’t true. Criminals know that many small businesses don’t have proper security measures in place and that makes their lives incredibly easy. The number of attacks which we are seeing for small businesses are on the rise.
Offline
After an attack it is likely that you systems are going to be down for hours or even days, your website will be offline and your business may very well grind to a halt. This will lose you money in sales which can’t be made, paying for staff who have nothing to do and the costs of the repairs to your system to get you back online. If you think that the software costs too much, just wait until you see the potential losses an attack will give you.
Your Customers
If you store customer’s information online then you have to ensure that you are doing all you can to protect their data, both for them and for you. Identity fraud is a very real threat and this is why the sensitive information of the customer must be protected. If you are attacked and you didn’t have security measures in place then this is going to destroy your reputation and show customers that you can’t be trusted with their information.
Trade Secrets
It is likely that your systems also feature plenty of business sensitive information such as plans for growth, contract deals and accounting, would you really want that to fall into the wrong hands? Of course you wouldn’t but if you are not making sure that you have the very best security in place then you are running the risk of falling prey to an attack and having this information stolen.
Don’t run the risk, get the security software as soon as possible and get yourself protected.