Let's talk about your business data (financial, business, operations, employee, and customer data + intellectual property, etc.). What would happen to your business if one of your employees caught a ransomware virus and not only they but your entire company became locked out of all of your data today, halting all business operations?

How much downtime, frustration, and financial burden would that cost your company? On average, small businesses lose around $8,500 per hour when down due to a ransomware attack (Source: Datto). However, there are several ways to avoid a cybersecurity attack to your business.

Let's talk about Computer and Network Privacy. Do you know if your computers and networks are strongly defended? Do you have a Firewall, AntiVirus, and AntiSpam? Do you know what tools your business uses for these? Do you know if they routinely updated, maintained, and tested for quality?

If the answer is no or you're not sure because an internal IT person or outsourced IT Guy or IT Support company manages it for you, let us help you answer these questions.

With more than 4 billion internet users currently worldwide, the internet is an incredible way for people to stream information and for businesses to make immense profits through online services and sales. It's also the leading cause of security breaches that put 61 percent of small businesses out of business within six months of a cyber attack.

Do you know how to spot a phishing email and are you training your employees on this as well? Why, we ask? Because email phishing is still the #1 cause of malware infections for small businesses.

According to the Wombat 2018 State of the Phish report, 92.4 percent of malware is delivered via email, 76 percent of organizations say they experienced phishing attacks and 49 percent of successful phishing attacks resulting in malware infections.

If your information or credentials have been hacked and you use the same password for multiple personal and business accounts, you and your small business are at high risk for a security breach. Don't worry, here's our EASY 5 Step Plan to Better, Safer Passwords which also means a safer business with less risk for cybersecurity threats.

As seen in the February 2019 edition of The Small Business Monthly, Jamie Lembeck a Cybersecurity advocate for The Purple Guys is featured in their Cybersecurity expert panel offering education to small and mid-sized business owners regarding the rise in security threats small business owners face.

This article was originally featured on Thinking Bigger Business Media 
Hacking used to have one major barrier to entry: talent. Unfortunately, the dark web has enabled individuals with nothing more than a bad attitude and a small amount of spare cash to buy sophisticated hacking tools.

Unless it’s your area of expertise, you probably lump everything that happens in your business on any tech device including computers, printers, phones, etc. into a single arena: IT. But that’s not entirely accurate. So what, exactly, is IT? What does it mean to outsource your IT support, and what services will the support company provide?

An IT support company can make sure that your platform is secure, remotely accessible, and efficient, remotely managing your IT infrastructure as well as your end-user systems, and some offer more services.

You already know that your business is always at risk of a data security breach, and you’ve taken all appropriate precautions. Your personal information is as vulnerable, if not more so. If either your business or your personal accounts are hacked, it can wreak havoc on your finances in both realms.

Your business has a lot of sensitive data about your operations, your partners, and your customers. You are likely (hopefully) doing everything you can to protect that information from hackers who want to steal it and make money off it. You’ve even hired an IT support company to make things more secure — unless your IT provider is inadvertently making you vulnerable to attack!

Many businesses, especially those too small to have an IT budget big enough for a robust internal defense team, turn to IT support companies to meet their IT needs.