If you were in charge of caring for a valuable item like a large diamond or classic painting, what would your strategy be? Most likely, you wouldn’t just lock the door with a standard deadbolt and call it a day. You’d probably install various alarm and camera systems, hire security guards, climate control the room where it was being kept, secure all entrances, and more. As a business owner, you may not store priceless artifacts, but your company’s digital systems and data are just as valuable and important for your success. That’s why your cybersecurity approach should cover all of your bases. Non-comprehensive cybersecurity solutions aren’t enough to protect your organization, and here’s why.

Comprehensive Cybersecurity: What it Is and Why it Matters

Let’s start simple: What is cybersecurity? Cybersecurity includes any software, systems, and procedures used to protect an individual or organization from attacks via their technology or unauthorized access to their systems. Comprehensive cybersecurity refers to measures that address every necessary aspect of protection. It can be easy to think that all cybersecurity solutions are created equal. Unfortunately, cybersecurity services aren’t comprehensive by default. Your digital assets won’t be fully protected by simply hiring an IT company and choosing one or two of their services—the current threat landscape requires a holistic approach to cover a wide range of risks at all times. For example, one news article reported that 43% of ransomware attacks happened on Friday or Saturday, and 81% of these happened outside normal business hours. Without comprehensive services like 24/7 monitoring or remote support, the attacks are difficult to detect—your team may not notice them for days, giving hackers plenty of time to wreak havoc on your systems.

What Does a Comprehensive Approach to Cybersecurity Include?

Exact cybersecurity solutions will vary from company to company, but these services are an important base for creating a comprehensive, safe framework:
  • Network Evaluations: Regular assessments of your network’s security posture to identify vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with best practices.
  • 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous surveillance of your systems to detect and respond to threats in real-time, minimizing potential damage.
  • Virus Protection: Software designed to prevent, detect, and remove malicious software that can compromise your systems and data.
  • Data Management: Strategies for organizing, storing, protecting, and backing up data in the cloud and elsewhere.
  • Compliance Services: Support in adhering to regulations and standards that govern data protection and cybersecurity.
  • Remote Support: Access for your IT team to perform updates and installations remotely, as well as a helpline for quick resolutions to technology issues.
  • Business Continuity Planning: Steps for restoring and maintaining essential functions during and after a cyber incident or other disruptions.
  • Employee Education: Training programs to raise awareness among staff about cybersecurity threats and best practices for safe digital behavior.

What Happens Without Cybersecurity Solutions?

Forgoing key elements in your cybersecurity solutions is like locking your front door but leaving the back wide open—it may take a little longer for scammers to hop the fence and get to the other side of the house, but they’ll still do it. When hackers have access to your systems, you can experience serious losses in many areas.

Data

Data is one of your most valuable assets, especially if your organization handles sensitive information like full names, banking information, birthdates, etc. In the event of a breach, this data could be stolen or altered, jeopardizing your operations and the safety of your clients and employees.

Client Trust and Loyalty

Reports show that 66% of customers wouldn’t do business with a company that had lost data in a cybersecurity incident. This means that even if you have cybersecurity solutions for recovering your data and restoring operations after an incident, you may not have enough clients left to keep your business up and running.

Time

The goal of cyber criminals is often simply to slow you down. When systems are compromised, operations are usually halted, making you lose anywhere from hours to days of business. Even once things are up and running again, the time it takes to manage the effects of the breach is significant, and it’s time you and other employees could have spent on other important tasks.

Financial Resources

Calculating the massive financial losses that can result from a cyber attack is difficult. Paying off ransomware, paying your IT company, replacing hardware and software, compensating clients and employees for resources lost, money lost during downtime, lost sales from abandoning clients, and so many other factors can take a huge chunk out of your organization’s resources. In short, spending a little more for more complete solutions will always be worth the investment.

Cover All Your Bases with iTology

For more than 15 years, business owners have experienced the acute attention to detail and quality cybersecurity solutions of iTology. We offer comprehensive services to create a full safety web around your company, and our clients enjoy solutions that are specific to their industry and business. We’ll even start with a network assessment to ensure protection in every corner. Sound like a plan? Then schedule your risk assessment, and get ready for proactive protection, tailored services, and a reliable partnership.