With Cybersecurity Awareness Month winding down, our team at SeedSpark has been working to help spread the word about some of today's top threats and deliver resourceful tools to help you stay safe in the digital world. As of October, the total number of cyberattacks in the U.S. had already passed the total number of events in 2021 by 17% - even with 3 months left in the year. With stats like these, it's important for businesses both small and large to make cybersecurity a top priority to keep their employees and customers secure in today's fast-changing world. Here are the biggest lessons that we've learned during this year's Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Artificial intelligence is impacting many areas of our lives, but top cybersecurity tools are getting a boost thanks to new tools that leverage this technology. Instead of relying on definitions-based protection, pre-programmed and updated by a human reacting to new attacks, AI takes a proactive approach that analyzes today's cybersecurity threats to identify potential threats and create defenses before hackers strike. In other words, AI keeps you ahead of criminals to protect each connected device across your network. Read more about why cybersecurity solutions need AI in our recent blog, packed with info that you need to succeed.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but the cost of recovering from a ransomware attack is often 10x higher than the actual ransom. The cost of downtime in a ransomware attack has risen 486% since 2018, meaning that companies have to start taking a proactive approach to their cybersecurity or risk ending up with a ransom payment, encrypted systems, and a team with no way to get work done. Read more about what's really included in the total cost of a ransomware attack, beyond the basics.
With cyberattacks that have disrupted everything from oil pipeline production to candy corn creation, 2021 has been a year packed with big takeaways as businesses small and large experience a wave of ransomware attacks that are changing the way that businesses understand cybersecurity. While new lessons are learned each day, here are a few that should be hung above the kitchen sink like a "Live, Laugh, Love" sign: make backups a priority, enable multi-factor authentication, and provide cybersecurity training. You can find the full list of useful lessons here on the full blog.
We've all heard the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." While that ideology might work for some things in life, it's not the right route when it comes to business technology. Working on older hardware often ends up costing more in the long run when you factor in unsupposed software and security features, slower performance, and costly repairs when systems are out of warranty, meaning that keeping your fleet of laptops, desktops, gadgets, and gizmos up to date is almost always the best way to go. Read more on the risks of using outdated technology in our blog.
While Cybersecurity Awareness Month may be winding down, criminals around the world are just getting started. 2021 has been a record-setting year for cyberattacks of all shapes and sizes, with many more likely on the way in 2022. When the time comes to prepare for what 2022 has in store, it's important to have complete cybersecurity measures baked into your technology budget. New hardware, updated software, strong cybersecurity measures, and a complete backup and disaster recovery plan should all be included in the conversation with your IT department or technology provider.
SeedSpark is proud to partner with small- and medium-sized businesses to deliver the technology that they need to connect and collaborate safely each day. Contact our team for a free 30-minute technology assessment, analyzing the technology you already have and identifying opportunities for improvement.