Corporations make national headlines when hackers steal their data and cost them millions. Many small business owners think of themselves as too insignificant to cybercriminals, but the sad truth is that these unsavory characters target small businesses the most because they are easy prey. Here’s a humbling statistic—43 percent of all cyberattacks hit small businesses, according to Security Magazine. Maybe you don’t have the time to manage your cybersecurity, which is fine because a managed IT solution can often do it better. Let’s look at why you would want to hire experts on this.
Proactive Approach to Cybercrime
Bringing technology into the office will let you compete better, but it also opens your business to cyber criminals. Unfortunately, hackers continue to grow more sophisticated in their attacks and will use their strategies to steal hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars from your company. Can your business survive an attack like that?
The old IT model was a break-fix method where you fixed the issue after it broke, but most cybersecurity-managed IT companies today use a proactive approach to hunt down threats and neutralize them before they can materialize. At PCH Technologies, we don’t wait until the threat penetrates your defenses and costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars. We protect you through preventative maintenance methods, robust data protection, security updates, and software updates.
Our organization will train your employees about the best cybersecurity practices because hackers often get in when employees don’t take enough precautions.
Quick Action in the Event of a Data Breach
A managed IT services Philadelphia company will snap into action the moment they spot a data breach. Small business owners may hesitate and wonder how to take action to prevent further harm. When you outsource your IT to a managed company, they will know how to respond immediately. Ransomware attacks, for example, can be rendered useless with a solid backup disaster recovery plan. Quick action minimizes the damage. Every business must comply with the regulations of their industry or suffer hefty fines, especially in the healthcare and legal industries. The right managed IT provider will supplement policies, procedures, and protocols to keep your business compliant.
Helps to Eliminate Legacy Software
Cybersecurity-managed IT providers do more than offer security, they will pinpoint weak technologies in your business that hackers could exploit for their own gains. Legacy software usually sees fewer patches and updates, which makes it highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. You might earn more money in the short term, but your business will operate more smoothly and productively with an upgrade.
Keeping legacy software around will make your business a target because hackers know how it lacks compatibility with other more updated IT elements. Let’s take the WannaCry Ransomware attacks that happened in May 2017. An estimated 98 percent of those who suffered used Windows 7 software.
Managed IT providers will recommend the latest software that will keep your business safe from harm.
Limited IT Resources
Without a cybersecurity-managed IT solution, you face a situation similar to swimming out in the ocean and hoping that the sharks don’t circle you. Large corporations can afford to hire IT providers in-house who will dedicate time to reviewing code, monitoring data streams, and picking out weaknesses before anyone can exploit them. Small business owners don’t have the luxury of time or finances. They need to focus on their business.
When you hire a managed IT provider, they will do this heavy lifting for you, and you can pay for a plan that fits your budget. You still receive the necessary security, but you don’t need to hire someone in-house.
Don’t Give Cybercriminals an Inch
You worked too hard on your business to let cybercriminals steal everything you worked for. The biggest reason that cybercriminals go after small businesses is that they have a much higher chance of success. Small business owners don’t have the budget to invest in tons of cybersecurity, which makes managed IT solutions even more important to them.
You can keep your managed IT solution within budget and protect your business from harm. Cybercriminals often go after the easiest prey, and even an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of the cure.
Cybercrimes Evolve with the Technology
As cybercrime evolves with the technology, you may lack the time to keep ahead of it. Hackers may come up with new and sophisticated attacks that you don’t have the time to study. Managed IT professionals made it their business to keep ahead of this stuff. It requires experts because the threat continues to evolve with time. What you had to protect yourself from a couple of years ago has changed.
The threat grows each day as our society grows increasingly dependent on technology. Most analysts believe that 60 percent of businesses will need to factor in cybersecurity as a threat by 2025.
Think of how burglars work. If they see something valuable without protection, they will take it because of the low risk of getting caught. The risk versus the reward has become greater. The same thing goes for cybercrime. When you lack a coherent security policy, cybercriminals will take advantage if they notice it.
How Cybercrime Will Impact Your Business
Our Philadelphia-managed IT services have seen how cybercrime impacts businesses, and it does more damage than the most immediate costs. For example, damage to your reputation will mean that customers refuse to do business with you. They will think of your practice as too relaxed and not giving enough protection. That will cost you money.
Finally, cyberattacks will waste your time. The average length of interruption on a business from ransomware was 20 days. Can you afford to be out of business for most of a month? Most businesses either can’t survive it, or it will severely hurt them.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this has shown you why you need a cybersecurity-managed IT solution. PCH Technologies can help you to create a coherent and effective policy that will keep cybercriminals from targeting your business. Call us today at (856) 754-7500.