These Business Security Threats Are Sure To Give You Nightmares

For every problem that technology solves, it just seems to create another one. A key issue that has been made worse by new technology is business security. Don’t get the wrong idea here. We’re not suggesting that businesses were secure in the past. Quite the opposite. But at least the threat to businesses in the past was seen and understood. Before our reliance on data and technology, a business security threat meant a break in. Now, it could come from any angle or direction to the point where it’s impossible to be fully prepared. There are too many security risks, and it’s difficult to be aware of them all. But as a business owner, you need to be. You need to know what you’re up against so that you can start to fight back.

Here are some of the biggest security threats modern businesses will face this year and beyond.

Don’t BYOD

BYOD was promoted and marketing as an ingenious way to save businesses a fortune. Rather than buying devices or laptops from each employee, they could bring their own into the office. That’s a massive expense cut out the business model. But is it worth it? The answer is no because you are immediately relinquishing the control you once had over you data and your files. Look at this way, if workers are bringing their own devices, they are storing their own files. These devices might be used for a whole variety of reasons. They might take their work tablet home or give it to their child to play on when they are bored. You are exposing your business to huge security risks if you allow this type of behavior. There is also the threat of viruses. You might say, well on our office networks we have the best security. That’s great, but what about when they take the device home. Who’s to say they have any security measures on their home network. It could be completely open to threats. You should be starting to see the issues here and why the money saved just won’t be worth it in the long run.

Held To Ransom

Ransomware is a new threat in the form of a computer virus. What is ransomware? If there’s ransomware on your systems, it is an incredibly powerful enemy. The virus works to take down every level of security that you have. After that, it starts to swipe your files and then, it uses them against you as a business owner. You will literally be held to ransom. You’ll be forced to pay up to get what you own, back. Unfortunately, the attack doesn’t stop there. The criminal uses the ransomware to copy important security data so they can attack again and again. Once they are in, it’s difficult to get the attacks to stop. You can’t even rely on the police because they could be located outside the jurisdiction of local authorities. The answer here is to beef up your digital security to the point where you are not exposed to this type of attack.

Unhappy Employees

It’s not just criminals that you need to watch out for, protecting your business. The greatest threat could be in the office next door. Did you think that the biggest issue with unhappy employees was complaints in the inbox? Think again, because unhappy employees could fight back with illegal actions. Around ninety percent of crimes involve people who the victims knew as the perpetrator. This means an employee is more likely to steal from your business than a complete stranger. If that thought worries you, consider this. Employees won’t even need to break in. They’ll probably have a lot of the security system. For them, they won’t need to crack the safe, they’ll have the combination. The best defense against this type of security threat is to keep your employees as happy as possible. Make sure that you increase their job satisfaction and improve loyalty in your business.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing might be a great cost saver, but it’s not without problems. If you have a poor outsourcing company, it could affect the reputation of your business. They might also expose you to a security threat. An example of this would be the use of cloud servers. Most business owners, can not afford to use a private cloud server. Instead, they have to piggyback off a server owned by another company. But who’s to say the security of that business is up to scratch. Essentially, you’ll be putting your most sensitive files in the hands of someone else.