Improper cybersecurity or not utilizing cybersecurity best practice is risky for businesses in all fields. You wouldn’t leave your doors unlocked overnight, so don’t leave your company or its employees and customers susceptible to digital attacks.
Below, read about cybersecurity: what it entails, why it’s so critical, and where to find cybersecurity firms near you.
What Is Cybersecurity?
The term “cybersecurity” gets used a lot, but a surprising number of people can’t give a working definition. Essentially, it includes proactive and reactive policies and practices that protect an organization’s internet-connected components.
It includes protecting data, software, and hardware and implementing best practices across the entire company. While most businesses entrust cybersecurity to their IT staff, it involves everyone, and all employees have a critical role.
Elements of Cybersecurity
There are many components of cybersecurity for business, each of which plays a vital role in protecting a company’s digital commerce, data, and computing capabilities. The main elements of cybersecurity include:
- Application security
- Cloud security
- Critical infrastructure security
- Data security
- Disaster preparedness
- End-user education
- Network security
- Operational security
- Physical security
Businesses must be proactive in protecting all of these vital components from digital threats.
Why Cybersecurity Best Practice is Important
Cyber attacks become more lucrative as all industries become increasingly dependent on digitized processes and record-keeping. The possibilities for making money from cyber attacks are growing, making companies more vulnerable.
Proper cybersecurity has many potential benefits aside from avoiding a crisis that costs your organization money. They include:
- Avoid data breaches
- Regulatory compliance
- Improved consumer confidence and reputation
- Keep data safe and systems running smoothly
- Prevent access from unauthorized users
- Recover quickly from and better manage minor or major breaches
- Protect hardware and users, especially employees
- Continuity and consistency of service
Cybersecurity Risk Types
In order to protect your company, employees, and customers, you must have a sound understanding of what you’re facing. This list is by no means exhaustive but includes the major types of cyber breaches and attacks that occur.
If you’re wondering how to stay safe at work, you should protect against all of these. If you’re evaluating your current cybersecurity services, they should also address each type of threat.
- Advanced persistent threats, where an outside entity gains access to your systems and collects information over a long period.
- Distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks: an outside entity attempts to flood your system’s resource(s) so that your company cannot conduct business as usual.
- Internal threats, especially from current employees.
- Malware, including viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other forms.
- Man in the middle attacks: a form of digital spying, a third party intercepts messages or transactions between parties without their knowledge.
- Phishing and spear-phishing: a form of social engineering, phishing involves sending authentic-looking communications to solicit personal or sensitive information. Spear phishing involves targeting a specific individual or organization personally.
- Ransomware: an outside entity gains access to data files, software, or hardware and locks out valid users. They will not release the encrypted data without payment.
- Social engineering: while many people don’t recognize this as an element of cybersecurity, social engineering entails convincing another person to commit one of the above acts on their behalf.
Cybersecurity Firms Near Me
Have you been googling cybersecurity firms near me? It can be beneficial to employ a local cybersecurity firm, even if much of the work is performed remotely. Local firms understand unique threats that are place specific. They are also intimately familiar with applicable laws and regulations, including what you must do to comply and what you can do to protect your business.
Consider TAG Solutions for cybersecurity located in Albany, NY. We take a proactive, individualized approach to each client’s specific cybersecurity needs. That way, we can address your most significant vulnerabilities at an affordable cost. Contact us today for more information.