Cyber-attacks only come into the mainstream focus when big organisations and companies are hit – but most people don’t realise that the criminals behind these attacks are often far more interested in the money and information they can steal from vulnerable small businesses.

Is your business adequately protected? If you’re not sure and just hoping for the best, you’re exactly what the criminals are looking for…

It’s not just hackers that will make you pay

The EU’s impending General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in 2018 and will see companies potentially facing huge fines if they do not adequately protect their customer’s data. Any cyber-attack blow can soon be followed up with a secondary regulation fine if you find yourself a helpless victim of cyber-crime.

If you think that your business is too small, or would hold no appeal for cyber criminals, you’re wrong. In recent years the people orchestrating these attacks have become increasingly cunning, recognising that large high-value companies have equally large and high-value defences. On the other hand, small businesses often don’t have the resources or IT Support to protect their data – and can even offer criminals a route into other associated companies.

How to start building defences

As is often the case, awareness is the first step toward addressing the problem. Your business is a target and considering the implications of your data being lost or stolen is a good exercise in deciding the value that can be put on cyber-safety.

A quick internet search will find countless companies who would be happy to take your money in return for differing levels of protection against hacking. Choosing can be a minefield, you quite simply do not know if they’re doing a good job until you fall victim to the crime. You will be inundated with free products – but don’t be fooled, these are not up to the task of protecting your business. These are simply sales tools to entice you toward a higher priced option.

How can an external IT partner help?

Hopefully you’re reading this prior to any cyber-attack, which puts you in a perfect position to contact an external IT partner who will be able to support you through the maze of options. VectorCloud work a little differently to most IT partners, as we engage in a working relationship we look beyond the IT and at the business itself, helping you assess the impact of cyber-crime on your business, not just how to configure your security.

Your business is unique – with this partnership approach you can be certain any solution is exactly right for you. At VectorCloud we work with SonicWall products to create a solution that will keep your business secure.

Why SonicWall?

We have 20 years of industry experience working with a huge range of clients – from small local businesses to large international companies. We have handled countless cyber-attacks and security breaches, we know what works.

SonicWall products stand up to the most rigorous industry testing against:

1. Ransomware – SonicWall’s Capture is a multi-award- winning product that delivers a near 100% success rate for capturing malware attacks. All other comparative products in the same tests failed.
2. Email threats – SonicWall Email Security shares up to the minute intelligence about threats from its 10,000 installations and 2 million mailboxes globally. It is aware of threats long before they reach you.
3. Encrypted Threats – SonicWall provides the highest security and efficiency solution for interrogating internet traffic that can otherwise get around your defences.

We can provide hardware and application solutions whether your business operates from your home office or small retail premises – through to large multi-site retail or business locations.

A stark reality

Nearly three-quarters of small organisations reported a security breach during 2016. As hackers become more and more intent on exposing the vulnerabilities of small businesses that number will continue to rise if the proper security measures are not put into place.

Without adequate protection, your business faces a range of possibilities, from the minor inconvenience of restoring your systems from back-ups – to the severe; loss of customer data, fines, reputation damage, loss of clients and potentially closure.

By selecting VectorCloud as your external IT partner you are protecting your business and your customers. The question is not whether you should be protecting your business, but instead, with such high stakes – can you afford not to?