EDITORIAL
Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Rebecca White
Government data debacle should be timely reminder for business The Tasmanian Government Education Department data debacle – where the personal information of at least 150,000 Tasmanians has potentially been compromised – should serve as a timely reminder to all business owners to take stock of their cyber security. With a hospitality business in my family, I appreciate that there are many balls to juggle when it comes to your important day-to-day operations. Keeping the doors open and generating business can be a challenge in itself, so when you throw additional tasks like payroll, BAS and invoicing into the mix, things like cyber security can be the last thing on your mind. You might have also seen the high-profile Optus, Medibank and Tasmanian Government cases and thought that your bar, restaurant or café is too small a target for hackers to worry about. But cyber-attacks are increasing almost exponentially, and now pose a serious threat to all businesses, no matter their size or the industry they operate in. It might be something as simple as a hacker taking control of your email account, allowing them to imitate you and request important financial information.
being compromised, which could result in a damaging loss of trust.
While it can be a daunting task to think about, there are a number of simple measures you can take to make sure your business isn’t an easy target for hackers, and that you have the best chance of recovering from an attempted attack. A good place to start is the Federal Government’s business.gov.au website, which includes a checklist of handy tips as well as an online assessment tool to see what your business is doing well and what you can do to make it more cyber secure. With the sophistication of hacks constantly evolving, it’s also wise to seek expert advice, whether that’s from a local tech specialist or even a trusted business advisor such as your accountant. The Federal Government’s Digital Solutions – Australian Small Business Advisory Services program offers tailored advice to small businesses about cyber security through workshops and webinars for free, as well as one-on-one advisory services at minimal cost. Many of you would have experienced the stress of being affected by the Tasmanian Government Education Department breach, or know someone who has.
Any steps to make sure something similar doesn’t happen to your business is a worthwhile investment.
Or depending on the nature of the information your business keeps, it might involve your customers’ data
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