8 Common IT Security Risks Facing Your Business
06/07/2022 | by Jeff Fowler
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, cybersecurity threats to small businesses are becoming more common than ever. With the wide array of threats, your business needs to be prepared on all fronts.
In this post, we’ll cover 8 of the most common IT security risks to your business and how Managed Services can assist with addressing them.
1. Missing Software and Operating System Updates
One of the most exploitable points in any IT system is missing or out of date software. Vulnerabilities are found in software constantly and if any system in your organization’s network has any missing updates, you are potentially at risk. The severity of the risk is based on the update and what the update may have patched. It’s not just firmware updates and Operating System updates, 3rd party software such as Adobe PDF, Java, and Google Chrome all have updates that are necessary to keep your system running smoothly and securely.
SandStorm IT’s Managed Services checks all devices across your organization, including those being used remotely, to ensure that all software updates are applied and installed correctly. If any issue comes up, a notice is sent and we can help troubleshoot why an update didn’t install correctly.
2. Limited Skill set with an in-house IT team
As your business scales, the original IT staff sometimes doesn’t grow with the business. A lot of times, the IT needs simply exceed the capabilities and capacity of their IT team. This is where partnering with an IT provider such as SandStorm IT can often be more affordable and more effective than trying to find and manage an in-house IT team. Our team has a wide variety of IT knowledge and certifications and can assist with practically any IT related issue.
3. No Proactive Monitoring in place
One of the biggest pain points in IT is unplanned downtime. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that there’s an issue ahead of time? With proactive monitoring, we are able to do just that. A failing hard drive on a server? We can often know days ahead of time and have the replacement installed before the original even completely fails. Proactive Hardware Monitoring is just a piece of our full Managed IT Services package.
4. Lack of Cybersecurity Training Amongst Employees
Of all of the items on this list, this is by far the most important. Did you know that 98% of cyber attacks in 2021 relied on social engineering in one form or another. Of course, phishing is the most common form of social engineering. The most effective defense against social engineering attacks is vigilant employees who have been trained against social engineering and IT security risks. Since this is such an important asset, SandStorm IT actually includes the cybersecurity training for free with our Managed Services program!
5. Insufficient Backups of Data
In the event of a mass data loss, such as ransomware on a server or a natural disaster, would your business be able to get functional again from the latest backup? One of the most important cornerstones of a solid IT plan is a good, functional set of backups that can be restored quickly.
6. Poor Antivirus/Anti-malware Protection
Did you know that the average cost to remediate a ransomware attack is $732,520 for organizations who were infected with ransomware? A strong Managed Antivirus can go a long way in protecting your business against any malicious software and malware. Windows has a built-in antivirus in Windows Defender. However, it’s often not as robust as a good against IT security risks as a 3rd party solution that includes features like real time monitoring and customizable alerts.
7. Critical Assets may not be adequately protected in the event of an emergency
Some assets are more critical to your business than others. This varies from business to business and could be a vital customer-facing application that absolutely must remain available, a server that is used across the country that must remain connected at all times, or vital data that must remain intact at all costs. Whatever your most critical asset is, SandStorm IT can help you make sure it’s protected. Whether that means a redundant failover connection or a secondary cloud instance of an application, we will help you make sure IT just works.
8. There isn’t a set of procedures and operations regarding IT.
Since the COVID outbreak, most businesses have been forced to conduct business differently. With the more widespread adoption of remote work, IT policies and procedures are more needed than ever. Having clearly outlined policies and procedures will give you and your employees a clear roadmap of how to use technology safely and effectively to do business while minimizing potential IT security risks.
Don’t Worry, There’s Help Available.
Do any of these risks apply to your business? At SandStorm IT, we’ve made it our mission to ensure that businesses can survive whatever IT issues come their way. We love partnering with businesses in the Greater Memphis area on their IT. Schedule a call to discuss how we help you with all of your IT needs.
