Take Back Control with Forfusion's IT Security Strategy

Many business leaders feel guilty about not giving cyber-security enough consideration and investment. They are thus anxious about the threats and vulnerabilities that may be going undetected in their networks. And rightly so.

Attacks are growing in frequency, severity and sophistication. As our world becomes ever more connected, every business is becoming a digital business. There’s no place for complacency or ignorance anymore.

It’s grim up north

Alarmingly, Newcastle tops the national table for cyber security problems. Over 93% of businesses in Newcastle and surrounding areas have reported losses or breaches of data. These hacks usually stem from poor or outdated network security.

It pains these organisations when they find out these attacks could have been easily detected and prevented.

With regional stats like this, it was hardly surprising when Labour’s Shadow Digital Minister and Newcastle MP, Chi Onwurah reported that she had been hacked a few months ago (despite being in charge of her party’s policy on cyber-crime…).

The average cost of significant security breaches for small organisations is crushing, ranging from £75,000 - £311,000. For larger organisations it is even more so, a despairing £1.46m - £3.14m.

Such attacks are so painful because they prove catastrophic for not just profitability, but in some cases to long-term viability – trust from customers is hard to win, but easy to lose.

Executives need to take back control

Many business leaders feel overwhelmed by the scale of the risks posed by rapidly evolving cyber-security threats.

However boardrooms can, and must take back in control of an area traditionally seen as the remit of the IT department.

It is often difficult, but by no means impossible, for leaders to assess the extent to which their network may be vulnerable.

The problem is that organisations are unsure about what they should do to protect themselves, and more importantly, their customers.

It’ll never happen to you, right?

To quote Cisco’s former CEO and chairman, John Chambers:

‘There are two types of organisations: ones that have been hacked, and ones that don’t know they’ve been hacked.’

Experienced and reputable business leaders are often embarrassed when they find out a network breach and data theft has occurred. Because they failed to detect vulnerabilities from within their own supply chain.

After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Where to start

Start by understanding your vulnerabilities. The most common of which are outdated software or OS, long-term passwords, BYOD threats.

However, threats are constantly evolving. You can soon fall behind the curve and find your network is no longer secure. We recommend that you begin by understanding what actually needs to be protected, understanding your particular threats and understanding your vulnerabilities.

This is why we’re offering organisations a Comprehensive Threat Attack Report with the most intelligent, threat-centric equipment to date at no charge. It’s time to take back control of your network - for good.

To find out more visit www.forfusion.com/free-security-scan