Why Oneonta Businesses Need Enterprise Cybersecurity

If you run a small business in Oneonta, you might assume that you don’t need to worry about the threat of a cyberattack. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

In fact, every business is susceptible to malicious attacks online, regardless of how small it may be. While even the smallest business needs the cybersecurity tools that enterprise businesses have, most are put off due to the expense. A managed IT service agreement is one of the ways SMBs can remain competitive and have access to many of the same services enterprise level businesses have.

We see big companies like Sony, Equifax, Target, and Marriot get hit in the news, and often these companies are targeted by malicious individuals or groups online, but the only reason we don’t see smaller businesses get the same press coverage is that it affects a smaller number of people. It’s not that smaller businesses and organizations in upstate NY aren’t at risk, it’s that they don’t make national news. In fact, due to the lower interest, particularly from law enforcement, smaller businesses might even have a higher chance of getting breached, as hackers are less afraid of being caught.

In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that a scam attempt was made at the Southside branch of the Community Bank.

In reality, small businesses and organizations are the targets of almost half of all cyberattacks - and unlike the large businesses that we always hear about, smaller businesses are far less able to recover from them. The U.S. National Cybersecurity Alliance states that of all the small companies affected by a cyberattack, a full 60 percent close their doors within six months.

These stats should only communicate how crucial it is that all businesses leverage sufficient cybersecurity measures against threats like these. Worse, if you feel unprepared for a cyberattack, you aren’t alone by a long shot. A mere 38 percent of global companies are confident about their chances of handling a threat to their data.

It is also important to remember how diverse the threats to your data can be. We’ve all seen the movies and television shows that show someone “hacking” into something or other, fingers flying across their keyboard, displays opening and closing on their monitors, as they describe what is going on in cyber-gibberish.

In reality, most of this is showbiz nonsense.

The hallmark of a hacker is to work smarter, not harder, and to attack where you won’t think to defend. That’s why phishing attacks, ransomware, and other low-involvement methods have grown to be so popular among cybercriminals. There is a reason we write about these threats so often.

Despite the impression we may have just painted, many of these attacks can be avoided somewhat easily as long as you have a plan. All it takes is a rigorous commitment to best practices, as well as a battery of cybersecurity solutions that meet the requirements of the average enterprise business. An effective cybersecurity plan should include Spam & Virus Email Protection, Email Encryption and Backup & Disaster Recovery (just in case).

Before I lose you, I want to make something clear - just because these solutions are enterprise-grade, doesn’t mean that they have to come at enterprise prices. Ensuring the security your company may be priceless, but it can also be affordable for SMBs by utilizing a managed IT solution. In fact, a managed IT plan can be delivered as a monthly subscription, allowing for your IT security to be budgeted and planned for as opposed to the last-minute emergencies in accompanying fees.

At Directive, we have been committed to providing the businesses of Oneonta and the surrounding area with the best technology solutions available for over 25 years. We grew up in this community, and so we are committed to assisting our fellow businesses do the same.

To accomplish this goal, we leverage the solutions that actually will have an effect on your business. These solutions include things like:

• Managed services, where we will proactively address the needs of your technology infrastructure using remote monitoring and maintenance tools.
• Data backup and disaster recovery, which ensures that your data is preserved and your business can continue, even through the worst of catastrophes.
• Cloud-based tools, enabling your business to work and collaborate without expensive on-site hardware.

To learn more about any of these solutions, please feel free to explore the rest of our website, or give us a call directly - we’re more than happy to have a conversation with you about your IT! Reach out to us directly by calling 607.433.2200, so we can provide your business with the same resources that the big guys have.