Today, business leaders are tasked with the added responsibility of cybersecurity, among the multitude of other responsibilities they have to deal with.
While large organisations have the benefit of being able to create and run dedicated cybersecurity teams, small and medium enterprises are often left it in lurch when it comes to managing their cybersecurity. They simply do not have the budget or resources for such a team or even a dedicated in-house IT team.
Ninety percent of SMEs globally consist of fewer than 20 employees, which means they are very unlikely to have a dedicated in-house IT team and even less likely, a team of cybersecurity experts on their payroll.
And let’s be honest. Most SMEs may not even be aware of the scope and risks associated with cybersecurity and its importance. As a result, they typically outsource this responsibility, along with all their IT requirements, to managed IT service providers.
As an IT MSP, managing cybersecurity consists mostly of protecting your clients from online threats like ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns or computer viruses. You only need to fail at this once and the consequences can be disastrous. The damage to your reputation as well as the fines that can be imposed through the Protection of Personal Information Act for exposing private and confidential information can be catastrophic.
A cyberattack has the ability to sink you and your clients.
All is not lost
All is not lost, though. While the above may be true, small businesses have the advantage of not having to deal with bureaucracy, which makes them more quick and agile when it comes to planning for cybersecurity. SMEs should include at least a plan for installing antivirus, for doing online and offline backups, for implementing a strict patching regime, and for network monitoring.
Avast is part of Gen Digital (formerly Symantec and NortonLifeLock), a global company powering digital freedom through consumer brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner.
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