Business Continuity Archives

How To Create an Effective Disaster Recovery Plan

June 6, 2019/0 Comments/in BDR, Business Continuity, Cloud Hosting, Disaster Recovery /by James Wagner

You don’t have to increase spending to improve cybersecurity, but every business can be more strategic about what they spend where.

improve cybersecurity without increasing spending

You Don’t Have to Increase Spending to Improve Cybersecurity

April 8, 2019/0 Comments/in BDR, Business Continuity, Cloud Hosting, Disaster Recovery /by James Wagner

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) aren’t as protected from cyber threats as they should be. Although larger corporations have more data for cyber criminals to take advantage of, SMBs are less likely to have up-to-date cybersecurity defenses, making them tempting – and easy – targets for hackers.

Because SMBs are easier targets, you may feel the need to invest heavily in the right infrastructure to protect your private information. Although cybersecurity is a must, a good strategy doesn’t have to drain your budget; managed services can be a predictable, plannable, and affordable cost. Your MSP can help protect your business and support a stronger strategy that includes:

Lifecycle management.

You’d be surprised how many systems are still running on outdated, unlicensed, or unpatched software. This leaves businesses completely open to attack, as critical upgrades to prevent data breaches must be installed to protect your organization. Hackers will take advantage of these vulnerabilities in your infrastructure.

Staff training and education.

Human error is the most challenging aspect of cybersecurity because it’s not as easily managed. The only way to mitigate the possibility of mistakes is to educate employees on an ongoing basis. Teach your staff about the latest phishing methods and implement basic policies and procedures to protect business data.

Strict permissions and policies.

Not everyone in your organization should have access to every system. Controlling access to your data to only those who must have such access can limit risk. As well, having strict policies about passwords, email security, and mobile device use can protect your organization.

Offsite backup and data recovery (BDR).

By storing a backup of your data at a secure offsite location, you will have access to the information your business needs to remain in operation, even if your facility is inaccessible or destroyed. Offsite backup and data recovery is critical to all businesses, no matter their size.

Multi-factor authentication.

Every organization should be using multi-factor authentication because password protection simply isn’t enough to protect your business. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a crucial security layer requiring more than one authentication method to verify a user’s identity.

These basic cybersecurity practices will help you protect your infrastructure in a cost-effective way. SMBs must defend against cybersecurity threats, because they are at risk, more so than larger organizations. These simple steps are the best start to securing your private networks, leaving more money in the budget for the right resources. Don’t fall victim to cyber threats when you can be prepared and remain competitive in a time when IT is your strongest asset.

As a top-rated IT security firm in Canada, we are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk, maximize efficiency, and build trust with Canadian citizens. Contact us to learn more.

This Is Killing Your Cybersecurity Strategy

January 3, 2019/0 Comments/in Business Continuity, Cybersecurity /by James Wagner

Culture is more important to your cybersecurity strategy than you realize.

In organizations where transparency is minimal and employee training is infrequent, you likely have many people who are ready to pass the buck if something goes wrong.

They want convenience when performing their job duties, and without the proper information, cybersecurity becomes the concern of the IT department.

“It’s not my responsibility” is killing your cybersecurity strategy.

So what can you do to make sure everyone in your organization is carrying the responsibility of securing your networks?

What do you do if you don’t have an IT department?

Employees are your biggest security risk

Your employees probably have little or nothing to do with the decision-making in your cybersecurity strategy. Outside of your IT department, there may have been no brainstorming forums about the best types of firewalls or which multi-authentication strategy to implement. Employees simply use the products that have been passed down the management chain. Without a culture of cybersecurity, then, there is no guarantee they will use the products as intended. How will they know what a phishing scam looks like? It only takes a single click for malware to infiltrate your entire IT infrastructure.

Educate end users to be your first line of defence

You have to end a threat before it begins by mitigating human error. This starts by instilling responsibility in every employee and making sure they know that the designated IT person or team can’t handle it all. Cybersecurity is a group effort, and if you want to defend against hackers, everyone must be on board. This is what makes culture so important because an employee that cares about the organization will be invested in protecting it.

Don’t become complacent

Even the most seasoned professional can make mistakes. Regular training and practice are essential, with frequent reminders and updates on new information. Opt for more than the boring PowerPoint presentation and apply gamification strategies or real-time tests. Format your own phishing email and see how many clicks on it; you might be surprised at how many top executives your trap catches. Your organization can’t afford to be complacent when hackers are constantly attempting to access your private data.

Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility because it can quickly become everyone’s problem. The end users may not play a role in establishing a cybersecurity policy, but they are the first to enforce it. Your organization must create a culture that recognizes the importance of cybersecurity and that also encourages employee buy-in. It must come from the top-down because if you don’t care about cybersecurity, your employees won’t either.

The ITeam understands the cybersecurity issues facing Canada businesses. We are committed to helping Calgary- and Alberta-based businesses develop proactive, cost-effective IT strategies that minimize risk and maximize efficiency. Contact us to learn more.

The Future of Cybersecurity Will Be Shaped by AI and Big Data

October 17, 2018/0 Comments/in Business Continuity, Cybersecurity /by James Wagner

The future of cybersecurity is coming at us quickly.

It’s almost impossible to be off-grid.

Virtually everything is somehow connected to the internet, from the smart fridge in your kitchen to satellites in space.

There are now more devices in the world than there are people, with billions of access points.

Technology is now a given for newer generations, yet cybersecurity can’t keep pace as it currently exists.

As our level of connectedness continues to advance, it will be AI and big data that shape cybersecurity.

Every device has a vulnerability

All forms of technology have inherent weaknesses.

This became incredibly apparent with the emergence of IoT.

Many new technological platforms had no security built into them, and even if defence measures existed, they were easily forgotten.

When no upgrades or future installments are made, we forget as consumers who are behind the devices in our homes and offices.

It is essential that we have the ability to retrieve updates in real-time because otherwise, the vulnerabilities are considerable.

It’s easy to assume that no one is interested in your Wi-Fi baby monitor, without realizing that hackers can patch themselves from one device in your home to another, such as a home security system.

Hackers have been successful in gaining access to major company databases, simply by accessing the air conditioning system.

Unrelated devices still function along the same networks, and the risk is very real.

There are too many security events for humans to handle

It’s not realistic to expect that every person will update every technological device as needed.

Even the most efficient IT departments struggle to handle the thousands, and sometimes billions (if you’re a powerhouse like IBM), of security events that occur daily.

Some events are minor, such as lost passwords, while others are suspicious activities indicative of a data breach.

If humans were to handle this influx alone, the backlog would greatly hinder any cybersecurity strategy.

This is where AI can augment, prioritize, and automate cybersecurity protocols.

AI can be programmed to handle low-level priority incidents, as well as send high-priority alerts to the right personnel.

AI will become a crucial component of cybersecurity as technology continues to dominate our world.

Soon, there will be no other acceptable another option.

Data is becoming decentralized

With the emergence of the blockchain, AI is even more crucial.

All transactions, all personal and professional data, cryptocurrencies, and more will be stored securely and accessed from anywhere in the world. Big data is the new technological reality, and it won’t be long until blockchain is commonplace.

With the future of cybersecurity promoting more connectedness than ever, it has become more apparent that security updates are not enough.

In fact, even AI and big data won’t be enough to mitigate risk.

The wider the technological landscape becomes; the more opportunities hackers will have.

As technology advances, it will be essential that cybersecurity is powered by hardware.

Rather than an afterthought, cybersecurity will have to be embedded into our devices to be efficient.

Otherwise, there is simply not enough human or artificial power to protect every device out there.

Cybersecurity Solutions For Alberta Small Businesses

September 25, 2018/1 Comment/in Business Continuity, Managed IT, Small Business IT /by James Wagner

Compliance is a concern on an international level, especially in matters of digital privacy and mandatory breach notifications for consumers.

Adoption of new policies is little more than a headache for larger businesses.

However, for smaller businesses, fewer affordable options are available and technical teams tend to be less skilled, if they exist at all.

Regardless, small businesses can’t afford to ignore the persistence of hackers and how susceptible they are to cybersecurity breaches.

The average small business owner loses $180,000 in a cyber attack

Losses of that size are large enough to sink a small business that suffers often irreparable damages and a tarnished reputation.

A ransomware attack can hinder operations for several days, and the affected business may sustain further financial losses as a result of government fines and consumer settlements.

Establishing an effective cybersecurity strategy starts with an understanding that every small business is at significant risk.

Implementing a solution for cybersecurity before disaster strikes is crucial.

Why are small businesses at risk?

The obvious reason small businesses are such lucrative targets is that historically, they do not invest in cybersecurity.

They are easy to exploit, and advanced techniques are unnecessary to gain access to critical data.

Research has also demonstrated that small businesses are more likely to pay the ransom because they are desperate to save their data.

With half of the small businesses shutting their doors in the six months after a cyber attack, a cybersecurity strategy is a serious and necessary investment.

Improving cybersecurity must be an industry-wide effort

Interestingly, Canadian restaurants are now being offered security assessments as part of an industry-wide initiative.

Restaurants are hot targets for cyber attacks because of the sheer amount of consumer credit card information that is stored.

Although these security assessments only highlight the risks and do not address a solution without additional cost, it is a step in the right direction.

Awareness of the problem and the depth of security risks will help small businesses prioritize cybersecurity appropriately.

Education and training are part of the solution

Regardless of business size or industry, internal threats continue to be a primary challenge.

Employees could be inadvertently opening phishing emails, using unsecured devices remotely to access private networks or using their credentials maliciously.

Human error results in the highest number of cybersecurity breaches, yet few small businesses address the lack of training that could minimize, if not eliminate, these risks.

Best cybersecurity practices stem from possessing the available information, and cybersecurity organizations are recognizing that access to cybersecurity strategies is beneficial to the entire economy.

Small businesses must take action to protect themselves from security breaches and malicious attacks; otherwise, they could lose everything.

Small businesses may be a prime target, but there is no reason to be defenceless.

How To Create an Effective Disaster Recovery Plan