It doesn’t matter if your organisation is a multinational or an SME, you need to have a strong IT security system in place to enable data protection and reduce the risks of malware bringing your business to a grinding halt. Here’s five signs you need to upgrade your IT security.
- Your inventory is growing exponentially
Growing businesses add to their IT inventories all the time, but to keep it under control and ensure investment is being made for the right reasons, a well-managed inventory is essential.
By documenting what you have, and why, you can:
- Account for all physical and virtual servers, PCs, smartphones, laptops, tablets and any other devices required as part of your business operation
- Maintain the appropriate level of security and access across devices
- Manage costs on everything from mobile phone payment plans to software licensing and storage solutions
- Monitor the applications in use so you know which are value-adding and which have become redundant
- Ensure better machine management and IT parity across the business
- You’re experiencing more cyber-attacks or hacking
Most cyber-attacks exploit known vulnerabilities, even well documented flaws that vendors have already developed patches for, making patch management and continuous security assessment a must for any business.
A large percentage of the cyber-attacks that happen every year are avoidable, but without structure and planning your IT security is wide open to embarrassing hacks on sensitive information and brand-damaging ransomware attacks that jeopardise an organisation’s reputation and knock consumer confidence.
- Malware is a recurring problem
Malware threats grow in sophistication every year and uninformed employees are the most likely avenue for a virus, trojan or ransomware attack to find an open door to your network.
To stay on top of that risk, a business needs to understand their anti-malware needs, choose the right protection, and revisit it periodically to make sure it’s working. You can even invest in tools or work with IT professionals who can help identify failed threats and malicious behaviour, allowing you to avoid future attacks and stay one step ahead of online threats.
- You can’t remember the last time your IT security was updated
If it’s lapsed (or doesn’t happen at all), chances are no one owns responsibility for making it happen. More worrying still, you might not be meeting your legal or regulatory requirements (GDPR is one obvious example), which could leave you open to large fines or prosecution.
IT security policies need to be refreshed annually to reflect shifts in compliance and to take account of technical advances, particularly around things such as remote working, mobile computing and social media, that are incredibly fast-paced.
It’s worth thinking about the level at which the person(s) responsible report too.
- How aware are they of the business’s IT strategy?
- Do they understand how everyday decisions might influence or compromise the organisation?
- Do they report on a regular basis and keep a detailed account of ongoing and ad hoc IT security deliverables?
- Do they attend regular training and education courses to keep their skills and knowledge fresh?
If you have legal or industry compliance obligations it’s important to manage your internet security programme to help avoid any breach that would leave your business open to data loss or misuse, legal action, or a costly fix that could be easily avoided.
- IT security is often side-lined because of tight budgets
Someone has to pay the piper (unfortunately), but the cost of building in appropriate funds to maintain IT Security will be so much less than:
- The legal fees, if you’re found to be flouting your responsibilities and
- Damage to the business when customers are made aware of security mismanagement
Security breaches and lengthy legal battles don’t bode well for customer loyalty, referral or winning new business, so if IT security costs aren’t factored into your annual budgeting plans, you need to find a way to include and maintain it, year-on-year.
Make your IT security ship shape
An IT consulting service can assess your IT security and advise on any gaps, what needs to be upgraded, and how you can do it most effectively and efficiently, plus much more, including:
- Manage a cost-efficient inventory
- Find opportunities to create more space and make money on the stock you no longer need
- Assess current security vulnerabilities and recommend affordable solutions
- Take care of machine management and ongoing IT patches
- Create a practical IT security plan that works within your annual budget
- Assess anti-malware needs, and recommend and install the most appropriate solution for your business
- Collaborate on IT security strategy and create processes and procedures to help you better meet your legal obligations
It’s a big job for a business to undertake on their own, but an IT support provider and consulting service can deliver an IT security plan in a fraction of the time it may take you to do on your own, and can implement the working processes that will keep the business on track for years to come.
Find out how you can start the process of upgrading your IT security by downloading our IT Security Checklist:
