Bring up the topic of IT and cybersecurity to most small business owners here in Los Angeles, and you’ll get the same response:
“We’re too small to target!”
“We don’t have anything valuable enough to steal . . .”
“Who would want anything from us?”
We hear these answers a lot, but the truth is that no target is too small for cybercriminals—and if you’re not prepared for them, they’re looking at an easy payday. Small businesses are actually the targets in 50% of cyber attacks. The rates of these attacks are growing year over year. 22 billion records were exposed by security breaches in 2020.
In previous posts, we introduced ClearONE: tailored strategic business technology solutions from ClearFuze and the professional services included for our clients. Cybersecurity and data security make up a large part of the solutions package we offer to business owners and office managers here in Los Angeles. Each package is customized to meet our clients’ unique needs.
Perhaps you already have an IT specialist or team on board. Read on to see if ClearFuze would be a good fit for enhancing your systems’ protection measures.
We’ll go over each aspect of the proven ClearONE system, created to protect your most valuable information—and your bottom line.
The Biggest Cybersecurity Risks Threatening Your Small Business
Ransomware
A ransomware incident is a major threat to your company. Malicious software (malware) infects your computer and denies you access to your own data. How to prevent ransomware attacks? It’s actually easier than you might expect. About 93% of ransomware cannot execute on your personal computer if there are no administrative rights on that PC. In other words, 93% of your risk is eliminated by requiring administrative approval for software installations and having a minimum access policy in place to limit virus spread.
Phishing
Phishing is another big risk. It comes at us from every direction – texts constantly sent to our phones and messages sent to our emails with virus-laden links. Once a link has been clicked, sensitive information is compromised. And that means one ill-informed click can take down an entire business.
How to stop phishing attacks? ClearONE includes email security protections blocking many of these messages. User training is also crucial. Your staff gets access to a security training platform with quick and easy videos teaching them how to watch out for critical dangers.
Your Employees
Unfortunately, it’s true: the biggest risk to security for your business is your employees (as opposed to outside dangers). 31% of Intelligent CIO survey respondents said, “Their colleagues’ lack of awareness, apathy and/or reluctance to adapt to new technologies presented the biggest challenge to implementing good cybersecurity.”
Your staffers are well aware of this reality and they are frightened by it. Arming them with awareness and support allows them to be guarded properly against internal and external threats. It isn’t just good for business. It’s also great for team morale, knowing they are working together in defending your valuable data.
ClearONE: Your Cybersecurity Protection
In part two of this series, we will go over ClearONE measures and how to protect against cybersecurity threats. Be sure to schedule a free consultation with ClearFuze to learn more about how we can keep you free from ransomware and phishing harm.