As if a global pandemic wasn’t enough to challenge the business world over the past year and a half, cybersecurity has catapulted into the forefront of every SMB’s agenda. Historically, it was only a threat to regulated industries such as banking, insurance or utilities, but today’s smart boards and businesses realize that they could easily fall victim to a cyberattack – and some already have. Since the massive (and sudden) shift to a remote work model during COVID-19 and beyond, companies must locate their weak spots in an environment where many (if not all) business and employee activities are conducted online.
Cybercrime has become industrialized – that is, an organization’s weakest link is identified, then the information is shared with criminal groups – resulting in a huge increase in the number of attacks, along with the level of their sophistication. It has become professionalized, so to speak, as organized crime has discovered that cybercrime is an extremely profitable activity.
Unfortunately, most organizations have not had the time to meet this challenge and address the threats it represents. One of the major concerns rises around ransomware and legacy equipment – which almost every organization has – and how it exposes a weakness that attackers are exploiting. The huge burst in digitization triggered by the pandemic has seen operations quickly migrate to the cloud, with access being granted to employees, and untested controls around cybersecurity. So, while the cloud represents an opportunity to move away from legacy equipment, it also comes with its own particular set of risks including the necessity and responsibility for authentication. The implications are obvious, and twenty-first century companies need to be placing careful focus on their critical assets and processes where their weaknesses might be tested, as well as how to implement emergency plans and fallback scenarios. In other words, when it comes to a cyberattack (and it’s not if, but when) the right questions to ask are, when will it come? Are we prepared to detect it? Can we stop it? Can we recover?
Because a cyberattack tends to reveal a company’s tensions and flaws, it’s critical to prepare, prepare and prepare some more. Once the incident has happened, it’s very difficult to establish trust, communication, workflow, and transparency. To build these capabilities in anticipation of such an incident, there needs to be a shared sense of urgency across the executive team and the levels below. It’s also important to identify and develop the concepts and tools that will need to be employed. This is where individuals with a strong business perspective can lead the charge along with technologically focused team members. Since cybersecurity ultimately can affect an entire company – even (or especially) the customers – it’s critical to build and support the tools that will mitigate the risk. And this process should involve at least one individual who is cyberliterate, to lead the building process.
Since an organization’s data entry activities frequently involve sensitive information, another smart strategy for companies looking to up their cybersecurity game is to outsource activities related to data and consider partnering with a reputable BPO / outsourcing company. With over 2,800 highly trained and stringently vetted agents, Anexa is an industry leader in the outsourcing field. We are committed to the highest standards of data quality and security, and as we are based out of Mexico, are fully compliant with Ley Mexicana de Seguridad de la Información (Mexican Information Security Act) as well as ISO 27000 and 9000 standards. Organizations seeking a strategic ally and trusted business partner can confidently assign their most confidential data management activities to us. We can also supply bilingual outsourcing solutions for the needs of US organizations interested in serving the growing Hispanic market.
Contact Anexa today for more information on how to support your cybersecurity initiatives.