Do Small Businesses Need Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity for small businesses - person working on a laptop showing different security icons.

Improving your small business’s cybersecurity strategies.

Reliable cybersecurity to eliminate attacks is essential for every business, regardless of size. The subject is so popular that it has earned a standalone topic on Google News. However, small and midsize businesses don’t think much of cybersecurity. The media also perpetuates this as most digital ink is dedicated to attacking large global enterprises.

The truth is, SMBs are suffering. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), cyber-attacks are a growing concern for small businesses and the US economy. Find out more below about why hackers target small businesses and the impact of cybersecurity.

Why Cyber-hackers Go After Small Businesses

Verizon‘s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report shows that 44% of the breaches affected small and midsize businesses. The reason for the high number of security risks for startups includes:

1.      Lack of Resources and Support

Most small businesses do not have a dedicated employee specializing in following trends, implementing technologies, and staying up to date with the newest technologies to mitigate risks.

In fact, about 43% SMBs admit they have no function in their company dedicated to cyber-security.

2.      Tight Budgets

Small Businesses do not have the budgets of fortune 500 companies to implement security strategies. Most avoid spending on resources, training, and consultants by ignoring the latest updates and patches, leaving their systems vulnerable to attacks.

Fortunately, there are low-cost options to start building the foundation that doesn’t break the bank.

3.      Inadequate Employee Training

Your employees are your greatest asset for your business and also the greatest cyber security vulnerability. Hackers know how to penetrate the weakest links on the networks. Employees can unknowingly download malicious content from the web or fail to secure their login credentials.

4.      Lack of Security Policies

Anyone would avoid wasting money on audits that can be thousands of dollars, but yet this is the normal first step before reviewing their current plan with their existing IT provider. Would you take a certification exam before studying and reviewing the material?

It is best to review your policies and implement a low-cost option first for a better audit report. It’s better than paying for the audit out of the gate.

5.      Security Vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals are looking for easy targets, and a vast majority of small businesses don’t prioritize cyber security.  The problem is it makes them easy targets. Think of a cybercriminal as someone going door to door and turning the handle of your home during the day. The first door that opens is their next target.

A simple lock on the door would deter this threat and send them on to the next house. There are strategies to build your defense against these thieves. Your strategy can be reviewed periodically as your business continues to grow and also when you afford other strategies that will mitigate the risks of cybercriminals

Impact of Cyber-Attack on Your Business

A successful cyber-attack can have significant repercussions on your business. It will affect your bottom line, your business standing, and the trust of customers. Here are some of the major impacts of security breaches:

  • Business downtime: Reduced productivity due to lost employee time in dealing with the situation
  • Reputational damage: Tarnished business image caused by a breach and possible exposure of customer information (credentials, personal information, etc.)
  • Loss of finances: Financial repercussions of hiring experts to repair everything and hopefully recover everything.
  • Legal consequences of a cyber breach: Every business must comply with data protection and laws for the customer data they hold. Failure to deploy appropriate security measures to keep their data safe can lead to fines and regulatory sanctions.

Looking Ahead

Studies estimate cyber-attacks led to cause $6 trillion in damages to SMBs in 2021.  Most of these company operations are lean, and those that ignore the need for robust cybersecurity can easily fall prey. Getting economical and efficient cybersecurity is possible, even without an established full-blown IT department.

Over the next month, we will be discussing different vendors that provide low-cost software to implement in your environment to fill the gaps in your business security strategy. Be sure to check back as we review how these products work.  If you want to learn more about our services and improve your cyber security strategy, contact SystemsNet today.

The Importance of Using Datto SaaS Protection for Your Office 365 Data

Team of IT professionals in an office working on a computer - using Office 365's full potential.

Protecting your business against cybersecurity risks.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had saviors that would protect your cloud-based data from any and every form of disaster imaginable? I know, I’d love it too.

Most businesses employ Office 365 data and look to enjoy its flexibility for productivity. But the truth is that most SaaS applications can’t protect themselves. The best way to keep a high-performance cloud online is to use the right combination of technology and proven backup practices.

It would help if you had the protection of online sensitive and vital data through Datto SaaS for your Office 365 Data. Datto SaaS protection provides thorough recovery and backup for Microsoft 365.

Some of the areas in which  it is effective include OneDrive, SharePoint, Calendar, protection for exchange, teams’ data. And it ensures three times daily backups with easy restore alternatives.

Datto does a lot more than offer Office 365 Backup, though. Let’s learn its ropes:

What Is SaaS Backup?

SaaS is a centrally hosted software licensing and can be accessed through a subscription. It is also called on-demand software. SaaS is designed to store and protect data.

The software is available through a third-party supplier, and in case of cloud storage failure, a solution for data recovery is recommended. And this is where Datto SaaS protection comes in to restore data to an applicable state.

How Does Datto Help with SaaS Protection?

Cyber threats are prevalent. According to the FBI, phishing sites created in 2020 were 6.95 million. It means the risk is present and keeps escalating. Now, you need Datto to be safe, but how does it work?

  • Datto allows MSPs—a third group company that distantly manages a customer IT system to gain access, control, and protect Google Workspace data and Microsoft 365.
  • It has a faster way of accessing lost data and restores easily through granular, point-in-time, and non-destructive restores.
  • Datto has automated point-in-time SaaS, ensuring every update made on your Microsoft 365 is captured. Besides, there’s an outside backup copy of data aside from SaaS servers.
  • Datto protects all tools, including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

Benefits of Datto SaaS Protection

Datto is an excellent choice for your business to scale. Here are some of its benefits:

Reliable Data Backup for Microsoft 365

As mentioned, SaaS alone is not enough for data safety in your business. It is easy to lose years of hard work in a flash. But Datto is reliable to secure lost data fast and protects from loss through its disaster recovery tools.

Protection Against Cybersecurity Risk

Datto SaaS Protection is designed to run in the background to prevent horrible events like cyberattacks from ever happening to your business.

It has features that make the SaaS line of defense effective in curbing cyber-attack cases. For this reason, client data is secure, and delivery of exceptional business is possible for the company to prosper.

Easy to Use

Datto’s backend set-up is easy. The package comes with straightforward instructions. Moreover, with the default recovery settings set up, it’s easy to explain to the client to manage independently.

Do you want to find out the cost of each account, Datto offers a flexible way of dealing with that too!

Low Investment Cost

Based on the value Datto SaaS protection offers, the cost is low. Datto has an option to scan across multiple clients for threats in one environment, and it can integrate with your existing set of tools. Plus, other provisions, this is way too much value at a low fee.

Powered by award-winning experts and limitless cloud, Datto provides the only SaaS protection that is hyper-converged, hyper-portable, and hyper-automated to ensure that your data is always protected – no matter where it lives. Businesses using the Office 365 platform need to incorporate some backup, and from a feature and cost perspective, Datto SaaS protection is the way to go for their business.

When you are ready to learn more about this product and implement it in your organization, do not hesitate to contact us at SystemsNet to handle your installation.

How Does VoIP Differ from Regular Office Phone Number?

Close-up shot of an employee's hand pressing buttons on its VoIP phone system.

Easy communication methods within the company and with third-party entities

Does your organization utilize an office phone number for SMS/MMS text messages? In this case, you need to understand how it affects your organization. Everything is becoming digitalized, and so are communication methods. Many businesses are replacing text-based communication forms with modern technology. Nowadays, businesses prefer VoIP systems to connect with employees, vendors, and customers. VoIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol, is a type of Internet phone service. If your system has a good Internet connection, you can reap the benefits of VoIP. Using this method of communication, you can improve the way you communicate. It will ease communication within the company and with third-party entities. Let’s have a look at a few features of VoIP.

  • Remote Calling Ability

If you have multiple offices, VoIP can help you in many ways. The system’s remote calling ability will help you transfer the incoming calls. With such a system in your office environment, you can offer excellent customer service. You can connect the customer with your local office team. Thus, it ensures that you get the best benefits from an affordable investment.

  • Auto-Call Recording Facility

Thanks to the auto-call recording facility of VoIP, it’s easy to record calls. When you record conversations, it will help you deliver the right services. But how? VoIP offers a facility by which you can organize recorded calls. By placing them in the searchable indexes, it will help your company to review the calls later.

  • Enhanced Mobility 

If your business relies on mobility, you can prefer VoIP over traditional methods. The reason is that it relies on the Internet. Instead of a grounded phone, it will help you unplug the IP phone according to your needs. It will still work when you shift the IP phone from one place to another. Thus, it ensures that your work never ends if you demand flexibility.

Still on the fence about why you should choose VoIP? Fret no more; here is the list of perks that the modern system offers. Check out!

Perks Of Using VoIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol

Many modern businesses are replacing traditional phone systems with VoIP. The reason behind this is simple – the multitude of benefits.

  • Reliable Solution

VOIP is a highly reliable solution as it works on Internet access. Until and unless you have Internet access, you have access to phone lines. However, this isn’t true in the case of landlines and other traditional methods. By choosing VoIP, you get access to reliable and functional solutions.

  • Affordable Choice

When compared to traditional phone services, VoIP is affordable. You don’t need to access any additional infrastructure for deployment. What’s more, it is light in weight and therefore costs less extra. You don’t have to burn a hole in your pocket with VoIP systems.

  • Highly Functional 

VOIP is exceptionally functional and comes with plenty of features. The reason is that the service is digital and offers plenty of benefits. The unique features of VoIP will offer you a high return on investment.

Pick VoIP To Enhance Your Business Efficiency 

If you’re looking to add VoIP systems to your business, look no further than SystemsNet. When you choose VoIP services through SystemsNet, you get additional features too. Your employees will get access to SMS and MMS text messages functions. They can send messages via VoIP without using their personal cell phones. So, are you ready to implement VoIP in your organization? Contact SystemsNet to handle the task of installation. Even if you wish to know more about SystemsNet VoIP services, we would love to answer. Get in touch today to get rid of traditional communication methods!

 

What Is EventTracker Security and Why Use It

IT professional working on a computer to access EventTracker for their company's security strategy

Addressing security issues beyond mere technology.

Many businesses are now popular with SIEM, a foundational technology to secure networks from threats and demonstrate regulatory compliance.

According to Gartner, Security information and event management (SIEM) are technologies that support threat detection and robust incident security. They feature real-time collection and historical analysis of your company’s security events from broad events and contextual data sources.

SIEM technology further allows users to support compliance reporting and incident investigation using historical data from reliable sources. The core capabilities of SIEM technology are a broad scope of event collection and the ability to analyze and correlate events across disparate sources.

To enable businesses to enjoy the benefits of SIEM technology for small networks, Netsurion developed EventTracker Essentials to address security issues beyond mere technology.

What Is EventTracker?

Netsurion’s EventTracker is a world-leading security management platform that offers users complete protection through an adaptive security architecture. The platform integrates prevention, prediction, detection, and response to boost effectiveness and reduce costs. Furthermore, users can monitor and analyze alerts and reports produced by SIEM technology.

With EventTracker security, users enjoy support on event log monitoring and management to enable enterprise network work seamlessly and boost day-to-day administration. The platform further unifies security orchestration, machine learning, and behavior analytics to protect your organizations against cybersecurity threats. Here are some of its top advantages.

Benefits and Insights of EventTracker

Key advantages of EventTracker include:

Centralized Management of All Endpoints on the Network

EventTracker enables you to have complete control of all your network endpoints. With this, you can improve threat response without hassle.

You enjoy security orchestration and automated response functionality with a faster threat response. You’ll consolidate data sources, leverage threat intelligence feeds, and automate response, improving efficiency. Also, this reduces your business response times, improves remediation, and increases your SOC productivity.

Enhanced Threat Detection

The EventTracker SIEM platform is integrated with ATT&CK to improve actionable threat intelligence. You will get better data protection and cybersecurity maturity by improving your readiness for future threats and stealthy adversaries. Such a comprehensive co-managed solution will increase visibility and boost detection.

Thorough Vulnerability Assessment

Attacks are always coming from inside and outside the business. It is essential to avoid these issues by identifying vulnerable systems and versions before becoming significant. A managed vulnerability assessment service provider scheduled scans, dashboards, and detailed reports for offering accurate results while prioritizing exploitable data.

Ensure Compliance

With EventTracker, organizations can secure their business environment, track user activity,   form baselines, create-audit ready reports, and send probable violation reports. Its solutions ensure you remain compliant and maintain yourselves by automating the steps required by each standard.

Advanced Analytics

Through machine learning capabilities, businesses require user and entity behavior analytics to trigger actionable and detailed alerts. This is possible with EventTracker. Its security intelligence platform enables users to understand and determine the normal system activities and event occurrences across their organizations.

Industry Leading Solution

EventTracker is a popular managed security device rated highest in value and performance over the past few years. Recently, SC Media announced was the industry-leading in news and product evaluation production. It is used in several industries, including energy and utilities, finance and banking, higher education, legal, healthcare, government, and retail.

Get Reliable Security Solutions for Your Entire Business from SystemsNet

Disasters are not predictable, and that is why you require reliable security solutions like EventTracker. At SystemsNet, we proactively monitor your systems and provide support and repair services along the way based on what you need. Our experts will ensure your network is always up and running to eliminate downtimes. Let us help you prepare your business continuity for your software, hardware, and cybersecurity concerns. Contact us today to get a free assessment.