Cyber attacks usually specifically targeting your business. Instead, they’re targeting everyone and then they’ll narrow their focus on the companies with the weakest walls. Usually, that means small businesses. Here’s why:
1. They have less standardized anti-malware protection.
There are different tiers of anti-virus and anti-malware programs. The majority of private individuals (as opposed to businesses) use whatever their computer came with when they purchased it. Once those credits run out, they switch to free trials. While many popular free trials are unending and reliably do what they promise, they offer only a thin sliver of online protection against cyber attacks.
Many small businesses do the same thing. Sometimes free seems like the best option, especially if you haven’t been attacked by ransomware or hooked by a phishing scheme before.
But hackers and malicious online actors know these trends as well as anyone. That’s why they design algorithms and attacks to get through the weaknesses in common free trials and unleash where small businesses are likely to go. When you sign up for managed IT services, you get access to the premium anti-malware protection that is usually reserved for enterprise-level companies.
2. There are no protocols for detecting and stopping cyber attacks.
If you’ve worked for a large corporation before, you know how slowly things can move. There’s a large bureaucratic process, especially if you’re trying to make interdepartmental changes. While some of that is dead weight that’s accumulated over the years, some of it is the weight of protocols designed to protect the company.
Larger companies have the benefit of IT departments that can organize program updates and authorize patches. They have security and compliance departments to ensure that there isn’t unauthorized usage of their network, like malware sneaking in through an unnoticed backdoor. When someone notices a phony email or an unsecured document with PII, there’s a procedure and someone you have to alert. Those systems let administrators comb through the data and track down problems.
But when you have a small business, it’s hard to support that sort of infrastructure. That’s why it’s more important than ever to find anti-virus programs with AI that can notice threats, compile data, and advise the right person on next steps. Managed IT services often offer services such as creating disaster recovery plans, too.
3. Security procedures are more lax.
Administrators at larger companies don’t mess around with passwords. The employees are going to change their password every sixty or ninety days whether they want to or not, and that applies to their computers, the intranet, and the online tools they use. Larger corporations also lock down the network so only company devices get wi-fi.
If your company doesn’t have a hard line on these subjects, that’s bad for security. Passwords that are both easy to guess and rarely changed are a huge vulnerability. There isn’t a person behind the scenes of every online attack. Instead, there are billions of bots who will keep guessing at your passwords. Once they get a lock on your business, they just move onto the next step of entering your accounts and taking information.
Managed IT services can automate password change requirements. They can also install software to detect when there’s abnormal activity. Once you have a more secure network, those billions of bots are likely to pass you by for easier targets helping your company prevent a cyber attack.
4. There’s no budget for a dedicated IT team.
Employees are expensive. Even if you rent equipment and real estate, employees are going to be one of the biggest expenses on your books. When you’re business is still starting to grow, that means you have to make hard choices between salespeople and IT. Instead of sacrificing either growth or security, find a third-party service that’s a good fit. Most of your IT needs can be met by strong monitoring software and quick responses. Instead of hiring a team of people to be on hand from nine to five, managed IT services are available 24/7.
Contact us here to see which of our services is the right fit for your company.
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