A few years ago, cybersecurity was kind of a buzzword. Now it’s just a fact of life. It’s become absolutely foundational to business IT strategy, which is no surprise given that 62% of businesses report experiencing phishing attacks and hacks are attempted every 39 seconds.
Cybersecurity increases productivity by minimizing occurrences of downtime. It protects business’s reputations. It matters. And, in the days of COVID, early data is showing that it matters even more.
But, with that said, there’s still a good bit of obscurity around what, exactly, cybersecurity is and entails. Things are even more likely to be unclear if information technology support isn’t your day job.
So, let’s unpack it a little bit. We’ll look at what cybersecurity is, what it protects against, and how IT support can help.
By the end, our hope is that your St. Louis business will have a more thorough understanding of what it means to keep your IT systems safe – and how to go about doing so.
What Is Cybersecurity?
At a basic level, cybersecurity is the practice of keeping your information systems safe. Or, as the US Department of Homeland Security (more exhaustively) defines it, “the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use and the practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.”
To fully understand what that means, though, it’s helpful to know what’s being protected against.
What Does Cybersecurity Protect Against?
There are two main types of cyberattacks that cybersecurity is designed to protect against. These are:
Malware attacks. Malware is “the collective name for a number of malicious software variants, including viruses, ransomware and spyware. Shorthand for malicious software, malware typically consists of code developed by cyber attackers, designed to cause extensive damage to data and systems or to gain unauthorized access to a network.”
Data breaches. You know, like the infamous Equifax breach. Breaches occur when supposedly secure data is exposed. This can happen via malware, via poor system design, or via malicious actors (i.e. a disgruntled employee abusing their administrative access to expose data).
In addition to these attacks, though, cybersecurity is also meant to protect against unintentional forms of cyber damage.
How Does St. Louis IT Support Impact Cybersecurity?
Now that we’ve defined what cybersecurity is and what it protects against, our next question to tackle is: How does it actually work? Most providers of IT support in St. Louis offer cybersecurity services – but what does that mean?
There are generally a few layers to cybersecurity services as administered through IT support firms. These include:
Systems hardening. These services reduce the likelihood of cyberattacks in the first place. They include things like firewall setup and management, antivirus and antimalware implementation, advanced threat protection, and proactive monitoring.
Disaster recovery services. These services reduce the risk of damage should a cyber incident occur – they’re purposed toward making data and systems easily restorable. Managed backups fall under this category of IT support service.
Strategic consulting. The best IT support firms also provide a layer of strategic consulting on cybersecurity practices. This includes things like user training, incident response plan development, IT policy development, and future planning to ensure continued protection. At ATB Technologies, this is a level that we excel at.
Overall, a proactive cybersecurity strategy can go a long way toward minimizing the danger and damage of a cyberattack.
The St. Louis IT support firms that take this proactive stance tend to generate higher levels of security.
Ready to Increase Your Level of Cybersecurity with an Expert IT Support Team?
Hopefully, this information has been helpful as you evaluate cybersecurity at your organization and plan to increase your security through IT support.
If you’re ready to gain peace of mind, let’s talk.
At ATB Technologies, we’ve been providing IT support for St. Louis businesses for decades across a variety of industries (including manufacturing and professional services). We take an intelligent, proactive approach to cybersecurity to keep your business protected. This includes 24/7 monitoring and strategic consulting services that give you an advantage and keep your defensive tactics on the cutting edge of the industry.
Let’s reduce your level of cybersecurity risk. Get in touch with us today to get a free assessment of your systems and begin charting the path toward better cybersecurity through strategic IT support.