What You Need to Know About Data Vulnerability 5 Feb 2021
When a company faces a cyber-attack, they are at risk of losing data vital to customer retention, growth and security. Compromised data can leave entire departments overwhelmed, as well as preventing employees from carrying out their daily tasks. Most importantly, customers can lose faith in a company’s security and stability when customer data is put at risk. It’s not just the loss of data, which can be frustrating for a company, but the total cost of the data breach. In 2019, the average cost of a data breach in the US was $8.9 million.
This worry leaves the question, what can you do to protect your data and business from a cyber-attack? And how exactly can a cyber-attack disrupt your business’ practices? Please keep reading for in-depth information about data vulnerability and what you need to know about protecting your IT assets.
The Effect of Cyber Attacks
One way a cyber attack can disrupt your business is by forcing you to face unexpected downtime. A compromised system or IT asset could cause an entire network to become unavailable, resulting in a loss of productivity throughout the business. Employees cannot access data, use IT systems or work as an effective team until the assets are fixed. And, if any devices or systems need to be repaired, then this could end up costing your business a small fortune.
Furthermore, any data lost in a cyber-attack could become irretrievable. Data destroyed during a cyber-attack would require the use of a data recovery tool to attempt to retrieve the lost information. However, there is no guarantee that every piece of information or data can be retrieved. This could have heavy consequences for your business as you try to overcome this data loss.
Finally, when sensitive data is accessed during a cyber-attack, the business responsible for protecting that data is subject to legal liabilities. This means you could be at risk of hefty paying fines, as well as losing face with customers if the data leak is made public. You may have to spend more money and time repairing the lost trust to ensure current customers stay with you, as well as ensure a future for the business.
Stages of Data Vulnerability
When your business faces a cyber-attack, there are different stages of data vulnerability. Commonly, data vulnerability is seen in three systems: network devices, system security and data storage.
Network devices include all physical devices such as laptops and USB drives and wireless connections. System security includes emails, poor password management, software bugs, unsecured Cloud storage systems and other malicious internet links. And, finally, data storage includes unsecured devices, using third-party services and employees with malicious intent.
Most businesses will have strict security measures to protect against these various cyber threats. However, if even the smallest data vulnerability is left undetected, then this could be targeted. So how can you ensure that your business is protected at all corners?
Protection from Data Vulnerability
At Global EMEA, we understand that data protection can be complicated. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) may find it hard to permanently employ the right people to help them protect their sensitive data.
We provide market-leading software solutions that can stop your data from falling into the wrong hands. Our products offer the solution for businesses of all sizes looking to protect their data and IT assets. The importance of data protection in our connected world cannot be overstated. Our products guarantee to a 100% surety that all of your company’s data has been wiped, allowing your IT equipment to be repurposed, recycled or sold on with you safe in the knowledge that no data is left.
It is worth remembering that you can prevent the majority of data breaches. Hackers, like burglars, will prey on the easy options. Implementing essential cybersecurity and ensuring all your IT assets are wiped to a military-grade when they are no longer required will persuade most attackers to move along.
Our team at Global EMEA have first-class expertise in data-deletion. They are always on hand to offer any additional advice about protecting your data and the ethical disposal of retired IT equipment. It is our mission to provide both cost-effective solutions and outstanding customer care. We ensure that no matter where you are based or what your business entails, we have provided top-quality data protection that prevents the loss of information or data into the wrong hands.
For a more in-depth chat about how we can support your business’ data protection needs, then get in contact with us today. By working with Global, you can tailor your IT management package to suit your needs as we understand that each business is different. Whether you require hardware, software or network support, need network and system monitoring, or expect backups and disaster recovery systems, our experts can help.
For more information, call us on +44 (0) 844 251 0471 in order to speak to one of our team about how best we can support you. Or visit our website to fill out an enquiry form today.