9 Critical Questions Your Customers Need To Answer To Survive
civil litigation when a company has created and actively implemented a cybersecurity plan.” Cyberattacks wreak havoc on bottom-line dollars. Sixty percent of the time, cybercriminals target small businesses. Then, on average, it can take three workdays or longer to recover. Think about how much revenue loss and productivity loss — and how many potential lost customers/clients — you could incur in those three days. 5 Steps Toward A More Proac- tive And Secure Environment When disaster strikes at home, you know what to do. But most executives have no clue what to do when a hacker locks down all their data and demands tens of thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency. Mike says, “Affiliated Resource Group has modeled our checklist and cybersecurity solutions based on the government-recommended best practices approach (the NIST Cybersecurity Framework), and we have presented this five-step security model to all our clients and prospects over the past five-plus years. And once they start adopting these measures, they start to gain control of their IT environments.” Step 1: IDENTIFY Before you can protect your network and data, you must better understand what you are protecting. ✓ What exactly are you trying to protect? Make a thorough list of your technology assets. ✓ What are your expectations in getting your systems back up and running and preventing a data breach? ✓ Determine your current level of risk with a comprehensive risk assessment. “With our once-a-year risk assessment, we help our customers with their assets and software. Next, we sit down with the leader- ship team and put their priorities on paper to maximize IT efficien - cies and security,” Mike says. Step 2: PROTECT This is where most companies focus their IT efforts, but it can’t be the only area of focus. In this vital step, you should be able to answer the following questions: ✓ How do you log in to your systems and who can log in? ✓ Do you have a password policy and procedure? More importantly, is everyone in your organization following it? ✓ Do you have current policies and procedures regarding adding antivirus software and patches? ✓ How does your backup work and what does it cover? “In a recent survey,” Mike says, “one-third of companies admitted their backups were not good enough if they ever had to recover from an incident. They risk losing considerable data and productivity.” ✓ Are you simply protecting your end points with antivirus software? ✓ Do you have a user-awareness training program?
Mike Moran, CEO Of Affiliated Resource Group A s more and more cyberattacks hit the head- lines, business owners today are waking to the realization that they must have a robust cybersecurity solution. Unfortunately, far too many organizations are just barely scraping the surface of what cybersecurity truly requires today. What’s typically missing is a comprehensive security plan and cybersecurity checklist that everyone in the orga- nization can follow. Just like a cyberattack, ignoring these important cybersecurity policies and procedures can bring a business to a screeching halt. Mike Moran, president of Affiliated Resource Group, has been serving Central Ohio manufacturers, distributors, professional services firms, and health care practices for over 20 years. For nearly a decade, Mike has also been sounding the alarm for his clients to follow a well-defined cybersecurity and compliance plan. Which Businesses Put Themselves At Risk By Not Following A Security Plan? Mike says, “Any organization that captures, uses, stores, manages, or transmits protected data must have a cyberse- curity plan in place. Some industries, such as the financial industry, health care industry, and Department of Defense contractors (and subcontractors), require data protection plans. But ultimately, any executive concerned about their reputation and bottom line should have a comprehensive cybersecurity plan.” The state of Ohio even passed a Cyber- security Safe Harbor Law that provides a defense against
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