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The world of cybersecurity grows more complicated year by year. Cybersecurity and cyberattacks are not new issues; they’ve been important topics ever since businesses moved online. The main difference now is the level of expertise and security training required to do the job effectively.
Employees used to be able to learn about and perform their own cybersecurity measures. If one chose a new password semi-frequently and kept their anti-virus software up-to-date, then their computer was relatively well protected. Now, with WiFi and constantly improving mobile service, employees can use multiple devices on various networks, making it nearly impossible to monitor and prevent cyberattacks without a dedicated team and a comprehensive network security strategy involved.
Why Is Cybersecurity Important?
Cybersecurity is essential in business to protect your proprietary information. It’s also vital to protect the sensitive information of clients and partners that your company processes or stores. Most customers will abandon a company that suffers a security breach, compromising secure information. If you’re looking for long-term business success, protecting your network and data is worth the investment.
Why Your Company Needs a Dedicated IT Team
According to the CIRA, “It’s often said that the weakest link in cybersecurity is the human at the keyboard.” With more and more employees working from home, it is more important than ever to have IT experts at the ready. There may be a steady increase in cybercrime, but there are also evolving strategies to prevent cyberattacks and protect networks. In fact, cybersecurity is its own field of study, producing experts in the following areas:
- Risk management
- Digital forensics
- Network and Information security
- Cloud security and management
It’s no longer sufficient to keep your business safe by casually attending a cybersecurity course once in a while and keeping your password up-to-date. Your IT expert/team must be able to monitor your business network 24/7, choose the best software to detect network intrusions, create response plans to attempted cyber attacks, and more. Security professionals will have in-depth education on these topics.
How an IT Team Can Benefit Your Business
Having a dedicated IT team will save you and the rest of your staff hours of wasted time by being available to answer your questions and solve security issues efficiently. Here are some examples of how and when an IT expert can help:
Password protection:
- Set up reminders for password changes or issue new, secure passwords.
- Set up secure double authentication and teach your team how to use it properly.
- Help unlock user accounts.
- Set up new user accounts.
Network security:
- Monitor activity on your network 24/7.
- Block unwanted activity or intrusion attempts.
- Respond to any successful intrusions to mitigate losses.
- Inform and educate staff on best practices.
Education:
- Answer questions from staff.
- Educate employees on how to recognize fraud.
- Work one-on-one to address specific issues or concerns.
Overall, having a security professional on your team will save your business time, money, and stress. Depending on your budget, you can hire one person internally or hire an external cybersecurity firm like Alt-Tech to take care of all of your IT needs in one convenient place.
Hiring a Dedicated IT Position
If your business is growing and you don’t have a dedicated IT position yet, you can create one. Not only can an IT person help improve your digital systems and security, but they can also help take some stress and responsibility off of the rest of your team. Having an IT expert on your team will increase camaraderie and encourage the rest of your employees to trust and rely on them for help and advice. However, it can be difficult for SMBs to hire internally for a full-time IT role. Not only does it limit the amount of expertise on your team (since there is only one person with one type of training), but it can also be costly.
Hire an External IT Team
When having your own internal IT team is not an option, an external IT firm can be a great solution. You’ll have access to dedicated experts that are constantly updating their technology and knowledge to stay informed on the latest cyber threats. An external team can also provide cybersecurity training and education to your staff and be available directly to answer questions and offer assistance.
Your Cybersecurity Firm of Choice in Edmonton, Alberta
Alt-Tech Inc. is your cybersecurity and IT management firm of choice in Edmonton, Alberta. We offer a full range of security services, specializing in financial services agencies, insurance firms, law firms, and the manufacturing sector. If your business falls into one of these areas, give us a call.
Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash
