Wow, my first few weeks at Vinti have been an eye-opening experience. Having worked in the tech industry for almost a decade, I felt confident in my knowledge of cyber security, but as with everything in this world, it is constantly evolving.
Like many business owners, I assumed that I had my bases covered and didn’t imagine that a cyber attack would ever happen to me. Keeping that in mind, I thought I’d share three key learnings that I believe every business owner needs to be aware and understand.
Cyber security is a journey: Ensuring your environment is secure isn’t a one-time fix. As technology and your business evolve, the way you mitigate risk evolves too. Some business owners have told us that they’ve received quotes for tens of thousands of dollars to “fix” their security posture, but this may not be a permanent solution. Identifying the vulnerable parts of your business, weighing the importance and urgency of the risk, and creating a roadmap to slowly increase your security posture over time, is an effective way to build a solid foundation, keep expenses within budget, and align with your business’s continuous improvement strategy.
Microsoft, Google, and Apple aren’t responsible for your security: This was one myth I believed. Having my technology in the Microsoft and Apple environments and understanding the level of investment these companies make to keep data secure gave me peace of mind. However, while these companies have high security postures, the policies don’t automatically apply to the user.
Cyber security, when implemented well, isn’t only an expense: There are many advantages to using technology in business. New ways to increase efficiency and productivity are introduced all the time, and there are many benefits to implementing secure technologies into your business. For example, businesses can use SharePoint for easy and accessible information management, Teams to better communicate and collaborate, and Azure to set up passwordless multi-factor authentication, which can reduce disruptions and frustration caused by multiple sign-in steps and the need to remember multiple passwords.
These learnings are just the tip of the iceberg. Cyber hacking is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet, and only 14% of SMBs are prepared, while 43% of attacks are targeted at them. I feel grateful for the opportunity to work with the team at Vinti, as they truly care about educating their clients, while also having the expertise to make these complexities simple and help business owners create their own plan to improve their security posture, alongside the efficiency and productivity of their systems.
If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to DM me or book a chat.