The best approach organizations can take to avoid cyberattacks is a proactive one. While antivirus and firewall protection tools provide some level of protection, they fall short as a comprehensive remedy.
Estimated read time: 2 minutes
Cybersecurity most often brings to mind hacking, phishing and ransomware. Although antivirus and firewall protection tools provide some level of protection, they fall short as a comprehensive remedy to defend against cyber threats. Given this information, where does a business begin to evaluate their current plan and ensure they have a comprehensive strategy in place? It all starts with an expert assessment and review of your network’s current cyber status.
Start With a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment
Ensuring the safety and security of your company begins with a Cybersecurity Risk Assessment also known as a CSRA. What is a CSRA? It’s the process of identifying the areas within a business or organization that are most vulnerable to cyberthreats. Typically, companies employ a third-party provider to perform this review. A third-party provider is not only going to have expert insight into what pieces need to be evaluated, but they can also offer a neutral perspective while providing facts about their findings. Additionally, a third-party provider will put into place a response and remediation plan should your organizations ever need to act on it. This step is critical as organizations need to be prepared should they find themselves dealing with a cyberattack.
A thorough CSRA evaluates all aspects of a company from devices to servers to employee knowledge and the business’s awareness of risk. Upon the conclusion of the assessment, each area gets ranked based on its likelihood and potential impact. The factors that pose the most immediate risk and need addressed first would be categorized as “critical” as compared to those that can cause less potential damage or are a “low” risk classification.
Hackers are getting better and better at targeting not just large corporations but, more frequently in fact, smaller-owned operations as well. This is why it is so important to have cybersecurity measures in place and to evaluate those measures on a regular basis to adjust as needed. New vulnerabilities pop up daily as hackers become more creative with their tactics and malware deployment. Cybersecurity must be a holistic approach and provide all-encompassing protection.
Bad actors have become sophisticated in targeting business network vulnerabilities to steal data or hold it for ransom. And while the occurrence of ransomware attacks may be down this year compared to last, the cost of recovery has reached $2.73M — nearly a $1M increase from 2023.
Work With the Experts
Once a CSRA is completed and the response and remediation plans are in place, the ongoing efforts begin. This is where the real work takes place. Did you know that Osterman Research reported that up to one-third of the total available work hours for IT and security teams are spent dealing with phishing?
To keep up with the changing cyber landscape and the necessary preventative measures that require constant monitoring and adjusting, IT staff members are stretched thin and are left with little time to handle other important IT tasks for their companies. In these situations, many organizations turn to a trusted Managed Service Provider (MSP) for help. These third-party providers are not only experts in understanding the cybersecurity measures that businesses need, but they also offer depth of experience in a variety of technical areas. Anti-virus, patching and updates are one thing but network penetration testing, staff training via phishing simulations along with regular cyber consulting using custom analysis of the organization’s operations prove their worth almost immediately.
A trusted MSP becomes an extension to a business’s current IT department, or takes over handling all of their IT needs. MSPs offer the flexibility to “hire” more help when needed without worrying about the hiring process.
Hamilton provides CSRAs for all businesses and organizations no matter the size or number of employees. The job of cybersecurity is an ongoing one. It’s easy to understand why so many business owners, school districts, healthcare providers, banks and financial professionals lean on a trusted provider like Hamilton to provide these services.
Get peace of mind. Find success. Hire Hamilton.
For more details on Hamilton’s Cybersecurity Solutions, read “Cybersecurity Options For Your Business.”
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