Let’s rewind to a little over a year ago. At the start of 2020, it would have been hard to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global business transformation that resulted from it. Fast forward to today. We’re not through the pandemic yet, and businesses of all sizes have had to navigate new work-from-home environments, and to do so in almost real-time. Entire industries continue to rethink how they can keep employees and customers safe through home offices and a renewed focus on digital products and services.

So much was unknown then, and much remains unclear as we look ahead to business in the new year. But we can identify one rather unfortunate certainty: the rise of cybercrimes against small and medium-sized (SMB) businesses. One source reports that one small business in the UK is hacked every 19 seconds! 

While many of us were taking a well-deserved break over the holidays, nefarious actors were finding new ways to bypass security controls. For example, IT Security Expert suggests that in 2021, businesses will continue to be under threat from attacks on mobile and personal devices and insecure networks. It also suggests new threat variants, such as a “twist” on ransomware in which criminals attempt to exfiltrate all needed data before a business even knows it’s under attack. In this way, the attacker can further extort and damage your business by selling your information, whether or not you pay the ransom.

It’s a scary prospect for SMBs for the year ahead. Attacks don’t just cost you money. They can also damage your reputation and, in some cases, they can shutter your operations. 

So, as we usher in the new year ahead, we urge you to follow through on one key resolution: to build a robust plan toward greater cyber resiliency.

What is Cyber Resilience?

Cybersecurity is all about keeping nefarious actors out. While it’s a logical approach, the problem is that no matter how secure your perimeter, intruders may still find a way in. A robust cybersecurity strategy will certainly prevent most attacks, but hackers by their very nature are committed to finding the holes. 

Cyber resiliency, on the other hand, adds a strategy and plan for what to do when attackers breach your system. Cyber resilience goes a step further to focus on response, recovery and business continuity. It’s arguably a more realistic and comprehensive strategy given the sophistication and frequency of intrusions and attacks against SMBs today. The concept of cyber resilience emerged because the traditional cyber security measures are no longer enough to protect companies from the constantly evolving attacks. As attackers remain persistent, your business must learn to be resilient. 

But how do you go about this, especially if your technology team is strapped for time and resources?

Four Steps Toward Cyber Resiliency

1) Fortify your Network Security

First, let’s think about how to consolidate and strengthen the security of your business. In most cases, the first point on this path is to protect your data and information. In the course of normal business, you likely generate, store and share a significant amount of personal, sensitive, financial or proprietary data. This is all gold for attackers. Ask yourself how this data currently moves across your network, and how you can safeguard and improve this flow, without added encumbrance for your team.

For example, to enable greater cyber resilience, consider a next-generation firewall (NGFW). This, along with switches and wireless access points, can give your business the critical protection, flexibility and scale it needs to grow quickly, while limiting risk.

Today’s modern businesses require high-performance connectivity with enhanced data security across distributed teams and locations. However, we also know it’s challenging and time-consuming to scope, select and implement the right network infrastructure and security. 

Which is why we’re pleased to offer Optec Fortified Infrastructure. Our service is designed specifically for your business, to make it easy to set up, secure and manage your IT network at an affordable, predictable price. Our proven solution combines FortiGate NGFW security with the expertise of our in-house cybersecurity engineers to offer secure networking, as a monthly service.

2) Secure your Cloud Applications, Especially Email!

This may come as a bit of a surprise to some, but responsibility for the security of SaaS applications actually falls on your business, rather than on your vendor. At the same time, more and more SMBs are turning to SaaS cloud applications to stay connected and productive, especially amidst the pandemic, with one of the most popular being Microsoft 365.

While Microsoft 365 offers an array of benefits, it also comes with some hidden security risks. Make sure you take the necessary steps to secure your M365 environment, as well backup and restore your M365 data. Not sure where to start? At Optec, we’ve teamed up with Assured Data Protection to offer next-generation security and comprehensive cloud backup solutions specifically for M365.

Another key concern for today’s SMBs is phishing and malware. In fact, more than 90% of today’s cyberattacks start with email! That’s why we offer a comprehensive email security solution to protect your business from malware, ransomware and phishing attacks. Our top-rated secure email gateway stops volume-based and targeted cyber threats to safeguard against data loss and help your business maintain compliance with regulations. It can be deployed on-site or in the public cloud to serve your unique needs.

3) Protect your Remote Workers

The shift toward remote work is likely to remain a reality for some time to come. As a result, teams have adopted technologies and tools to remain connected, productive and collaborative. Adapting to these new, now-normal ways of working may include everything from secure access to company data to properly outfitted home workstations. 

There are several measures you can take toward greater cyber resiliency for your remote workforce and customers. The first is with a VPN (virtual private network) to keep employees securely connected to your network. VPN solutions create an encrypted path back to the office network, providing security as if your employee was working from the office.

Endpoint security is also critical for cyber resilience. Every device that your team is using becomes a new data centre that you must protect from loss and attack. The proper endpoint security will protect your users with technology similar to a firewall to detect and block both basic and advanced cyberattacks. At Optec, we combine simple, cloud-based deployment and centralised management with advanced threat protection at the endpoint to prevent attacks from reaching users and spreading. 

We understand that every business is unique and there’s no one-size fits all solution for secure remote connectivity. This is exactly why we’ve developed a range of remote working solutions designed to meet your unique workforce requirements.

4) Prepare for the Unexpected

As we mentioned above, one of the few certainties this year is that cyberattacks against small and medium-sized business will continue apace. So our last step on the journey toward greater cyber resilience is to prepare for this challenging (and changing) reality. 

Ultimately, your cybersecurity strategy should be comprehensive and include a plan for remediation and recovery in the event your business falls victim to cyberattack. This must include a robust backup and disaster recovery solution. 

Our Optec Resilience Solutions fit the bill. We put your business on the path to better preparedness, protection and continuity with cost-effective, scalable solutions. From threat intelligence and robust data backup to disaster recovery, we can help you keep your business safe from attack and your operations going when the unexpected happens.

We hope this post helps you better understand the threats your business faces in 2021, and how cyber resilience can better prepare and protect you in the year ahead. We also understand that implementing a new cyber resiliency strategy takes time and commitment. If your team is strapped for such resources, consider partnering with a third-party cybersecurity expert, like Optec. When you find the right cybersecurity partner, it’s one of the smartest investments you can make for the success and growth of your business. 

Lastly, please remember that cyber resiliency is a continuous process. We can help you take the first step. At Optec, we’re here to help you protect what you’ve worked so hard to build. Get in touch with us today to discuss building a cyber resilient strategy for your company.

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