Why Are Businesses Ignoring Security Threats?
A survey compiled at the RSA security conference showcases that lots of businesses are behind with proper security standards. Some companies are completely ignoring security threats due to lack of time or know-how. A trend that we want to stop right now!
Why are businesses not being proactive and implementing security protocols onto their company network? The answer may shock you. According to BleepingComputer, 26 percent of companies who have security bugs don’t have the time to fix them. This is mind boggling and scary! Businesses that are ignoring security threats need to implement a system to manage their network devices. For instance, perform updates during non-critical business hours. This way, when patches are made to the system, workers’ computers are not affected. Companies ignoring security threats are left wide open to hackers. Similarly, if a worker is not trained to spot security threats, chances are the computer may become compromised.
In this case, if a business were to ignore security flaws, there’s a high probability that the company’s entire system is exposed. I would venture to guess that no business wants their data or customer’s data to be public. What can a business do? For instance – perform the updates yourselves or hire a professional managed service provider. What is a managed service provider? Glad you asked, we answer this question in a separate blog post.
Are Security Threats Real?
You bet they are! No matter what size business you are, network security should be a high priority. For example, businesses that store highly sensitive data will need to make it difficult for outside access. Cyber threats are real. Whether you’re performing the updates or outsourcing IT support to another company, staying up-to-date is critical for any business. It doesn’t matter if your business is selling garden gnomes or a doctor’s office with patient records. A secure network will help deter malicious attacks on the business’ network and provide a good night’s sleep. We all can agree a good night’s sleep is priceless.
Who Needs Maintenance Anyway?!?
The answer is simple. Every business needs a managed service provider maintaining their existing network. Why? We’ll provide a scenario:
XYZ Consulting provides consulting services to pet shop owners. For example, the company provides consulting services on product placement, optimal store layout, and other pet store services. All customer information is stored on the company’s internal database. XYZ Consulting doesn’t think the company’s operation is big enough for hackers to care about. With that said, they’ve left all of the computers updates pass by without a care. A team member comes in one morning and notices all customer data disappeared! What happened? The computers are behind on updates, which left a digital back door open for malicious individuals. For example, Microsoft released a patch earlier in the week that closed an exposed computer to the Internet. Therefore, XYZ Consulting never implemented the update leaving the computers exposed to outside forces.
The example provided is extremely simplistic. The goal of the scenario is to give you an idea of what could happen if a computer system was left unmanaged.
Time To Change Security Threat Habits
All businesses practicing updates to the company’s computers are ahead of 26% of other companies. Similarly, businesses that do not implement updates need to change these habits. For the do-it-yourselfers, designate a technical individual to perform the updates. If no-one in the office is technically savvy, then hiring a managed service provider may be the route to go. First of all, managed service providers are more than tech geeks who run updates. A good managed service provider is proactive that partners with customers to manage their computer and network infrastructure to maintain a secure, functional and efficient environment. Sure the managed service provider can assist with virus removal, application support, and other technical tasks. But the real value comes with implementing best practices for a secure and functional network.
Cybersecurity threats are real. Maintaining an up-to-date system will help deter such threats. Are you willing to update the company’s computer system or will you hand the keys to professionals? A question you need to answer. Because the last thing you want to happen is have your system compromised.
