22/05/16

Cyber Defence is Everyone’s Responsibility

Recent government research found that 66% of UK big businesses have been hit by a cyber-attack in the past year, mostly by viruses, spyware or malware. The UK government is now urging businesses to do more to protect themselves.

At a recent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) conference, DCI Sean Paley, of West Mercia Police, challenged the audience to consider just how safe their businesses’ IT infrastructures are, and the extent to which they’re susceptible to potential online attacks. Such attacks have the potential to impact growth, productivity and ultimately profitability.

I spoke to DCI Paley after the conference and he stressed the importance of Cyber-Defence being a company-wide responsibility. With so many possibilities for attacks, every member of staff needs to know that it is their responsibility to be alert to potential incidents.
“Employees who remain vigilant and who have a ‘better safe than sorry’ mentality are as good a line of defence as any firewall.”

Constant Vigilance and Raising the Alert

Awareness is so important and being constantly alert to the possibilities for intrusion (including near misses) keeps the subject at the forefront of everyone’s minds. It makes staff more aware of potentially harmful email links and attachments.
Employees must know it’s vital to raise potential issues, especially if there’s something they’re not sure about. Too often when organisations conduct a review of what went wrong after an incident, a staff member says, “I thought there was something suspicious about it.”

Cyber Crime Insurance

We know that all the alarms and intrusion protection mechanisms in the world won’t stop a physical burglary if a criminal is determined enough. So, if we are wise, we take out buildings and contents insurance to cover us in the event of such a break-in.

Now Cyber-Crime business insurance is increasingly available. Insurance cover can provide peace of mind in the event of an attack and enable business owners to recoup the costs of data recovery minimising financial losses. All of which means a business can be back up and running after an attack much faster.

At Network Support Solutions we can provide advice on all types of protection for your data.
Please call me, Katy Jones, on 01743 290588 if this is something you’d like us to look at for you.