… And What You Can Do NOW To Protect Your Company
Are businesses losing the war on cybercrime? One recent article on ZDNet says yes. The number of security breaches has risen by 11% just in the last year. This is costing businesses even more in lost revenue dealing with these kinds of attacks. It’s wasting their time and resources.
In 2016, Cybersecurity Ventures stated that by 2021, digital crime will cost businesses a total of $6 trillion. So far, this projection seems on point as hackers continue to chip away at businesses around the world. They don’t care about the damage they’re doing.
Right now, the Internet is flooded with sensitive data. From passwords to financial information – it’s out there. Some of it is secure, some of it isn’t. Either way, because of the sheer amount of data floating out there, cybercriminals have a greater chance to get what they want. And over time, it becomes harder to protect that data.
But the cyber security industry has also grown in response. People are fighting back. In 2018, the investment into cyber security totaled $37 billion. However, it seems like it’s just not enough. When you look at small and medium-sized businesses – the targets of nearly 70% of cyber-attacks, according to SMB Group – cyber security isn’t taken as seriously as it should be.
In 2017, Harvard Business Review looked at the reasons behind why many businesses don’t take cyber security seriously. The results were interesting. It turned out, businesses don’t treat cyber security as “the ongoing process that it is.” Instead, it’s typically treated as a “finite problem that can be solved.” In other words, if you do the bare minimum for security today, the thinking goes, you’ll be protected tomorrow.
The problem is as the Internet changes and evolves, so do the threats against its users. It’s pretty much impossible to set up a one-and-done security solution. If you were to set up something like an SMB “quick fix” and walk away, there’s a good chance your business would be the successful target of an attack within a matter of months.
This kind of thinking is far more costly than many business owners realize. A study by Akouto and Alpha Logistics found that businesses that underinvest in cyber security end up spending more on cyber security in the long run as they deal with attacks – up to 58% more. These costs don’t even include downtime or lost wages caused by data breaches. In short, recovering from an attack is FAR more expensive than investing in security now.
So what can you do to protect your business? You can start with changing the way you think about cyber security. You have to accept that the threats are out there and will always be out there. But there are things you can do to minimize those threats.
Start with your people. For many businesses, especially those smaller than Fortune 500 companies, your biggest threat is right inside your organization. For those of us who are Internet-savvy, most would never dream of clicking on a scammy link or responding to a phishing e-mail. We’ve been around the cyber block and we know what to look for.
However, people still fall for even the most basic scams. There will always be someone on your team who isn’t informed about these kinds of threats, or those who use obvious passwords. ZDNet points out that “only 26% of workers know what to do in the event of a breach” and that “7% openly acknowledge that they ignore or go around security policy.”
It pays to invest in a thorough and ongoing training program. It’s crucial to outline clear and firm security protocols so your team knows EXACTLY what to do. No one’s left guessing or clicking on anything they don’t recognize.
It’s also crucial to not go it alone. The single best way to stay on top of all things cyber security is to hire a highly experienced managed services provider who is up-to-date on the threats you’re facing. Having a partner means you don’t have to assume your business is protected. You’ll know your business is protected.
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SHINY NEW GADGET OF THE MONTH: Logitech’s Circle 2 Home Security Camera
The Internet age has made home security a straightforward affair, and with Logitech’s popular Circle 2 home security camera, it’s easier than ever to get in on the action. Equipped with 1080p livestreaming, a wide 180-degree viewing angle, free 24-hour event-based cloud storage and rated for both indoor or outdoor use, it’s a powerful tool for keeping your home safe, whether you’re there or not.
The device works seamlessly with all the popular smart home platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant, and it is easy to set up. It offers crystal-clear video night or day and is easily viewable from your phone wherever you are. If you’re in the market for a smart home security system, this is the place to start.
Top Tips For Giving Better Speeches
Whenever you stand in front of a group, big or small, your influence and effectiveness are on the line. Whenever you speak publicly, no matter the occasion, it offers people a chance to form an opinion of you and your leadership abilities. Here are four tips to ensure your success when it comes time for you to present your ideas.
- Have confidence in yourself.
Being a good public speaker doesn’t require magic or genius, but it does require a genuine desire to communicate well. Do you feel comfortable with the way you communicate with your friends, coworkers and family? If so, think of public speaking as an extension of the way you communicate every single day. The ease and confidence with which you talk every day is the same manner that you need to have when you are speaking in front of a room full of people. So, just remember: even if you’ve never given a speech, you’ve done this before!
Another way to build legitimate confidence is to prepare and practice. Your confidence will increase in direct proportion to how prepared you are to speak. The #1 reason most presenters bomb is a lack of preparation.
- Relax!
Don’t get overwhelmed. Be comfortable with who you are. The more your personality comes through, the more authentic the audience will find you. Your job isn’t to impress the audience with what they think of you, but to influence them to think or do something because of your message.
- Keep it short and simple.
There was a time when people would listen attentively to speeches that were literally hours long. Those times, as you know, have passed. Now that there are so many ways to get information — TV, radio, print media, the Internet — live speeches need to be short, simple and memorable. Take a look at the Gettysburg Address. It is about 270 words long. The address also uses simple, single-syllable words and short sentences. This simplicity will make your speech easier to digest and harder to forget.
- Don’t just say it – feel it!
Your audience will know if you don’t believe in or care about what you’re saying. If you don’t believe what you’re saying, why should your audience believe it? If what you’re saying isn’t important to you, then how can you expect your audience to care?
You can tell a story or be the story. When you tell, you communicate what happened. When you are the story, you reexperience what happened. Your feelings will enliven your words and your description will become more memorable.
Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE, is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an “idea studio” that seeks to motivate and develop leaders inside and outside of business. He’s the best-selling author of books like Fred Factor and The Potential Principle and a noted expert on leadership, team building, customer service and company change. He holds the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association and is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame. Check out any of his excellent books, his video series, “Team Building: How To Motivate And Manage People,” or his website, marksanborn.com, to learn more.
The #1 Threat To Your Security Is ...
You! Well, you and your employees. Like it or not, we are our own worst enemies online, inviting in hackers, viruses, data breaches and everything else under the digital sun through seemingly innocent actions. In most cases, this is done without malicious intent. However, if you aren’t monitoring what websites your employees are visiting, what files they’re sending and receiving and even what they’re posting in company e-mails, you could be opening yourself up to a world of hurt.
That’s because employees’ actions can subject the company they work for to monetary loss, civil lawsuits, data theft and even criminal charges if they involve disclosure of confidential company information, transmission of pornography or exposure to malicious code.
There are two things you can do: One, create an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to outline what employees can and cannot do with work devices, e-mail, data and Internet. That way, they know how to play safe. Second, implement ongoing training to keep security top of mind. We can also run phishing security tests and score your employees. This will show you if they know how to spot a suspicious e-mail and make them realize just how easy it is to be duped.
5 Underrated Habits Of Super-Successful People
- Asking Questions. Successful people are also the most curious. They’re more interested in finding answers than they are worried about appearing to not know everything.
- Analyzing Feelings And Emotions. The strongest people understand that they’re still human and learn to monitor, manage, and understand their inner workings.
- Standing Up To Their Inner Critics. It’s easy to beat yourself up and hard to practice self-compassion. But the latter will lead you to great things, while the former will stop progress in its place.
- Saying No. The best of us respect their own boundaries.
- Leaving The Office. Seriously, do it – even working from home for 20% of the workweek has been shown to increase productivity, not to mention sanity. Inc.com, 3/29/2019
