Wow what an event! We recently hosted our Cyber Security event ‘Where to start?’ which saw business owners from all over come together to hear about the latest trends and information on cyber security. We covered topics such as common threats, what security basics should businesses have in place, cyber insurance, and ever-evolving threats such as AI and Deepfakes. 

Our very own MD, David, kicked off the event, walking guests through the rapid evolutions of cyber security and why these threats exist. Giving real world examples of businesses affected by cyber-attacks and recent stats on the impact to UK businesses from cybercrime, such as 81% of cyber security attacks and data breaches happen to small – medium size businesses. The presentation finished with what the top 5 tips businesses should put in to place to help protect them from the most common types of cyber-attacks.    

We then heard from Oliver Wakefield from SJL Insurance, who gave insight into how cyber insurance can help businesses not just recover, but also protect themselves from cyber-attacks. An incredible 90% of UK businesses are not covered by cyber insurance, which has evolved to be a pro-active cover rather than a call to claim policy. 

 Lastly, we heard from the fantastic Vanessa Eyles Director of The West Midlands Cyber Resilience centre, who showed us a real time global threat attack map with real cyber-attack attempts happening at that time. Vanessa talked about how the government backed Cyber Essentials scheme can help protect businesses as well as show customers and suppliers that you take the protection of their information seriously. 

 Our top 5 takeaways from the event: 

• Get the basic technical cyber security protections in place – These are usually free and included in licences and software you may already have; these will protect you against the most common types of cyber-attacks and deter attackers to look for an easier target. 

• Cyber insurance is no longer just a reactive measure – Many insurers offer pro-active threat detection technology to see if your business is being actively targeted on the dark web. Insurers can also offer insight into some of your businesses cyber vulnerabilities when taking out a policy.

• Ensure your staff are cyber aware – One of the biggest entry points for cyber criminals is through email phishing which relies on human interaction. Emails containing malware delivered through attachments or malicious web links that take you to a web page to download malware. They may contain links to fake login pages where your login details are then compromised, ensuring that staff are alert to these types of threats is essential. 

• Work on the basis of ‘when and not if’ – Ensuring that you are able to recover from a cyber incident is a must, having a plan that ensures that you can keep running as a business while IT systems are recovered could keep you afloat. Whether it’s for a short period while systems are restored from backups, or a more prolonged period while new hardware is purchased and rolled out, ensuring you know who to call and what actions to take written down will help you in your time of need. 

• Cyber Essentials certification – This is a great way of ensuring that you have all of the basic protections in place, along with policies and procedures that meet a set standard. A government backed scheme that shows to your customers and suppliers alike, that you take the protection their data and your own seriously. 

If you would like more information about any of the above topics and how they can help your business, get in touch with us today for a free consultation: Contact | IT Managed Consultancy Ltd