Should Contractors Worry About Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity should be a priority for business owners in all industries – including contracting. Are you keeping your data and other assets secure?

 Contractors Must Be Vigilant When It Comes To Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting your data from hackers – it’s a matter of branding and business quality as well. The degree to which you protect your data will affect the contracts you win, and the way your company appears to potential clients and partners.

Leaving an unsecured IT environment unaddressed can lead to:

  1. Fewer Business Opportunities
    Did you know that New York’s Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) requires financial firms to vet the cybersecurity of the third parties they deal with? That can include you, depending on the types of clients you’re hoping to work with. If a financial firm you’re involved with doesn’t approve of your level of cybersecurity, then you’ll lose that business.
  2. Loss Of Business To Your Competitors
    Similarly to the first item on this list, your cybersecurity is a selling point – if your competitors can demonstrate a high maturity of cybersecurity, you may be passed over for them by potential clients.

What Should Your Cybersecurity Include?

The following cybersecurity solutions and best practices will help to keep your firm safe:

  • Advanced Endpoint Protection: With integrated anti-malware, data loss prevention (DLP), and simplified data encryption, you can rest easier knowing your systems are secured end-to-end.
  • Data Encryption: Centralized data encryption and complete protection of your PCs and removable media make sure that your vital data is kept safe in a range of formats.
  • Firewall: Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe. A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users or suspicious connections from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
  • Network Monitoring: Your IT company should be keeping an eye on your systems around the clock, identifying any suspicious activity and addressing it immediately to prevent any negative effects.
  • Data Backup: If you have a data backup solution, then it doesn’t matter if your data has been encrypted. You can just replace it with your backup, simple as that.That’s why you should make a considerable investment in a comprehensive backup data recovery solution so that you can restore your data at a moment’s notice when necessary.Be sure to:
    • Back up data on a regular basis, both on and offsite.
    • Inspect your backups manually to verify that they maintain their integrity.
    • Secure your backups and keep them independent from the networks and computers they are backing up.
    • Separate your network from the backup storage, so the encryption process is unable to “hop” networks to the backup storage device. This keeps your backup data from being encrypted.

Get Expert Support If You Need It

403Tech will help implement simple and robust security measures, deploying security devices like firewalls, patching, antivirus software updates, intrusion, and gateway protection. With our help, you don’t have to be worried about cybercriminals trying to target your business.

Like this article? Check out the following blogs to learn more:

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