IT Security for Business

Cybersecurity is a vital concern for organisations of all sizes. Large government entities and some corporations have recognised the persistent threat of cyber-attacks and have taken measures to bolster their defences. However, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often neglect IT security due to budget constraints and competing priorities. Some SMB owners may also believe investing in cybersecurity is not worthwhile.

It is crucial to understand that SMBs are not immune to cyber-attacks and can be as vulnerable as larger organisations. The failure to prioritise data security makes SMBs an easy target for cyber predators seeking financial gain. To mitigate these risks, SMBs can seek the help of security companies like Qamba IT, which can provide practical solutions that make it less cost-effective for hackers to target your business.

At Qamba IT, we understand the challenges faced by SMBs and take a practical approach to security. Our solutions focus on making it less cost-effective for hackers to target your business rather than investing in fancy and expensive security services. By decreasing the return on investment for hackers, SMBs can effectively mitigate their risk of a cyber attack.

Additionally, Qamba IT can assist with the necessary support and knowledge to stay compliant with industry regulations and laws, which can prevent significant fines and legal issues. Investing in IT security with the help of security companies can help SMBs protect their company’s sensitive information, reputation, and financial stability.

Understanding the threat landscape

$39,000 per incident

The average cost per cybercrime report to over $39,000 for small businesses, an increase of 14%

300,000 per year

300,000 cyber crimes are committed in Australia each year

$64,000 per BEC

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is still a huge attack vector, averaging over $64,000 lost per reported incident in Australia

Addressing the Problem

Understanding that there’s a need for better cybersecurity is a good first step in creating a system that works and gives protection to your company, employee and client data. Here are seven things you can do to promote awareness and vigilance among your employees. Here are some of the key baseline security measures we recommend for every Australian business.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) 

Multi-factor Authentication is an authentication method that adds a layer of protection to your sign-in process. This requires the user to provide two or more verification factors, such as entering a code or scanning a fingerprint, when accessing accounts or applications. Most services require you to set this up. But if the service you’re using right now doesn’t, you need to choose a different one that actually cares about your security. 

Not sure where to start? Try Authy.

Authy MFA
Password Generator
Strong Passwords and Password Managers 

Make sure that all your accounts have a unique, alphanumeric password that is at least eight characters long. You can make this even stronger by including special characters. If this feels a bit too complicated for you, you can opt for password generators that create random 16+ digit passwords. Once you have a strong password, store it in a password manager that can save and autofill your credentials when you need to login. And voila! You have strong secured passwords for all your accounts without having to worry about forgetting them. 

Security Awareness Training 

Malicious attacks and Human Error, the two major causes of data breach, both have a huge human factor in it. Some people take advantage of weak IT security, while some just don’t know what a system security threat looks like even when it’s staring at them right in the face. Make sure to invest in getting all your team members trained to identify such threats, so your business avoids getting caught in the schemes of cyber criminals. 

Updates for your OS and Applications 

The constant notification pop up can be annoying but those reminders keep popping up for a reason. Always make sure to follow through with operating system and application updates for all your devices. This helps ensure that you and your team members get the latest protection from security holes as they get discovered, preventing malicious hackers to take advantage of those flaws. 

Advanced Endpoint Security 

Endpoint security systems protect endpoints such as mobile devices, desktops and computers, along with the network they are on, against malicious cybersecurity attacks. These solutions prevent loss of data by examining files as they enter the network, and identifying malware and other threats. This also allows for a more flexible and faster response time because of its continuous monitoring of all files and applications. 

Advanced Endpoint Protection
Business Email Compromise
Business Email Compromise protection

Differing from previous “Spam Filters” – modern email filtering is crucial in preventing business email compromise (BEC) by using advanced technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and threat intelligence to detect and block malicious emails from entering a company’s inbox.

Filters can analyse email content, sender reputation, and other parameters to identify and block phishing, malware, and other malicious emails. It can also detect malicious links, attachments, and other indicators of compromise.

Additionally, ATP filters can also flag suspicious emails that may require further investigation by the security team. By implementing ATP email filtering, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of BEC and other cyber threats by blocking malicious emails before they reach the inbox.

Data Backup 

Backing up data is critical for businesses of all sizes as it provides a safety net in case of any data loss due to various reasons such as hardware failure, natural disasters, human error, malware or cyber-attacks.

Data loss can significantly impact a business, including financial loss, reputational damage and legal consequences. Backing up data ensures that the company can quickly and easily restore lost data and minimise downtime, allowing the business to continue operations with minimal interruption.

Additionally, having a robust and reliable backup solution can help organisations comply with various regulations such as the ASD Essential Eight, PCI-DSS, and GDPR, which require organisations to maintain and protect sensitive data.

Furthermore, having a regular and tested backup process allows organisations to minimise the risk of data loss and increase the organisation’s overall security posture.

Getting Professional Help 

Those are the basic things that every organisation must adhere to to protect sensitive company and client information. At the same time, all of those things can be too much to think of and handle when you’re already too busy managing your business. That is why tapping the expertise of professionals in the IT security field is the best thing to do to make sure that your business is 100% protected 24/7. To help you decide, here are five things that only an expert cybersecurity specialist can provide. 

Identifying Valuables and Threats 

The first step to a comprehensive network security is Identification. Your cybersecurity firm will come and audit every nook and cranny of your business to understand the things that your company values such as trade secrets, employee and client information, and more. After that, they will identify potential risks and threats in order to create a plan that focuses on protecting those details and plugging those security holes to strengthen your network. This usually includes: 

  • Security Assessment
  • Dark Web Monitoring
  • Security Awareness Training for your employees
Detecting Threats 

This is where security weaknesses and attacks can be detected even before they happen. Your IT expert does this by anticipating threats, continuously and routinely monitoring processes within your network and keeping an eye on irregularities. They also perform detailed scanning for viruses and malware to see if new ones have wormed their way into your system. If they find something, they can get rid of the issue and restore your infrastructure without any disruption in your operations. Your security provider must have these in place: 

  • Endpoint Protection 
  • Identity Monitoring 
  • Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) 
Protecting Your Business  

Your cybersecurity provider’s main task is to protect your business from all sorts of malicious threats and attacks. Their expertise revolves around actively keeping your defenses updated, and monitoring your infrastructure to make sure that nothing gets past their watch. This ensures that your data doesn’t get lost, stolen or compromised, and in turn will result in increased client trust, sales and reputation. Your IT guy should be able to setup the follow in place for maximum protection: 

  • Data Encryption 
  • Physical, Mobile, Email, and Web and Domain Security 
  • Identify Protection 
  • Password Management 
Responding to Threats 

If and when a cyber-attack gets through the security infrastructure, your security provider will know what to do and will do it fast. They can immediately employ solutions that will target those situations in order to prevent any real damage to your business. Your partner IT firm must have the following: 

  • Incident Response 
  • Managed Threat Response 
  • Policies, Procedures, Processes 
Data Recovery 

After every cybersecurity incident, it is important that you get to recover from it quickly and with as minimal loss as possible. Your IT provider will be there to make sure that you recover important data so your business can go back to operations, and continue providing quality services to your clients. To be completely ready to bounce back, there should be: 

  • Backup
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Business Continuity Plan

Levelling up your Cyber Security

Qamba IT has a number of turn-key outcome-based Managed IT Security solutions that enhance your security posture and tick many boxes for compliance and insurance purposes.

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The True Value of IT Security 

A trusted IT security specialist can do a lot for your business. The true value of having a partner firm is the peace of mind that you get knowing that your business is getting protected by an expert. You can also sleep better knowing that you, your team members and clients can work and interact safely. In the long run, this will increase the quality of your services, your productivity, brand reputation, and eventually building client trust and making sure that your business continues to grow. 

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