One of the worst things any company can go through is a data breach. Once your data is compromised, all the time, money, effort and resources you’ve spent on IT security services instantly goes down the drain. Furthermore, fixing a data breach isn’t as simple as patching up a few holes and continuing with business as usual. In most cases, it requires a complete rebuilding of an IT security program. Here are some valuable lessons learned based on real-world data breaches.
Don’t Cut Corners When Creating a Security Program
Creating an IT security program takes a lot of time. Even IT support for small and midsized businesses can be expensive. However, IT security is not the place to cut corners when budgeting or planning for any given year. In fact, you could consider your IT security practices as data breach insurance. Any company that has experienced a data breach can attest the money spent upfront to secure your network is much cheaper than cleaning up the aftermath of a data breach.
Test Your Program Early and Often
Just because you believe you have the most secure network in the world doesn’t mean your work is done. Cyber criminals never take a day off trying to compromise data; they will eventually find ways into your system if you neglect it. Doing frequent risk assessments and vulnerability testing can help keep your software and patches up-to-date. You could also consider using managed IT solutions to run these tests for you.
Work With a Security Company You Trust
When it comes to IT support for small and midsized businesses, you can’t afford to spend money on companies you don’t trust. Work with an IT security company with a solid reputation, since they are mostly responsible for protecting your network. Working with a third-party managed IT solutions company has plenty of perks if you find the right one.
Recovering and Rebuilding Are Equivalent
When a data breach occurs, you can only recover so much from the breach before you have to rebuild the entire program. Any IT security services company will likely recommend starting over from scratch after a data breach, for no other reason than to not give cyber criminals a chance to go through the same access points. Regardless, a data breach will force companies to take their IT security practices back to the drawing board.
At Single Point of Contact, we provide IT support for small and midsized businesses so you won’t have to worry about the day-to-day issues. Be sure to contact us right away so you can prevent a data breach from occurring and having to deal with the consequences.
