It’s Halloween season; let’s talk about something scary.
Data loss is like the first death in your business’ horror movie. Once it happens, things are about to get a lot worse. Next, you’ll experience downtime, production loss, reputation damage, financial problems, etc.
But there’s a way to escape the data loss monster, even as threats continue to rise. Build a proactive disaster recovery plan to restore operations when the unexpected hits.
What Causes Data Loss?
Hackers believe that data security is low on the business to-do list, and unfortunately, they’re right. A survey by USTELECOM shows that only 50% of C-suite executives and 26% of employees prioritize cybersecurity. Unprotected files are susceptible to viruses and ransomware, putting your operations at risk.
Multiple devices per employee increase the risk of data loss. Laptops and smartphones can easily be stolen, misplaced, or damaged. In the wrong hands, one stolen laptop could turn into a business-wide data breach.
Consequences of Data Loss
60% of SMBs go out of business within six months after a cyberattack. (National Cyber Security Alliance). Ransom payments, compliance penalties, and customer lawsuits stack up fast, and many companies cannot financially recover.
How much downtime can your company afford? After a data breach, you may lose critical business functions or personal customer information. People who don’t receive products on time are the smaller issue, but you’ll still take a hit to your brand reputation. If customer financial or health data is compromised, you may even be viewed as negligent.
Data Loss Prevention Strategies
Consider partnering with an IT provider who will perform an initial cybersecurity assessment. With data gathered from this report, experts can point out the gaps in your security. Enterprise-level firewalls and up-to-date antivirus software are the most common solutions used to identify and block incoming threats. Your team should also receive real-time alerts and 24/7 network monitoring.
Proactive disaster recovery will help your business resume operations quickly after a data loss situation. This includes regular backups to the cloud with custom RTO and RPO objectives. Data can be restored in minutes rather than days, causing minimal disruption to your business. Cloud backups are also the most cost-effective option.
Mobile devices are at greater risk for data loss. It’s important to implement access control features such as two-factor authentication to all your applications. You should also have the ability to remote wipe data from stolen/lost devices.
To learn more about data loss prevention and schedule your complimentary cybersecurity assessment, email us at sales-team@iservgroup.com.
To download a sample assessment: https://www.iservworks.com/cyber-security-assessment