Earlier this year, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of an “explosion” of cybercrime risk fueled by the COVID-driven move to remote lifestyles. Per a report by
BBC News, Yellen said: “As the pandemic has moved more of life online, crime has moved with it.”
Indeed, recent research backs Yellen’s warning. A survey covered by
TechRepublic found 77% of IT leaders saying cyberattacks were more frequent after the pandemic started. Plus, 56% of IT executives polled planned to spend 40% of their budgets on cybersecurity, quickly adopting “zero trust” techniques that deploy increasingly stringent user authentication.
The study canvassed 500 senior technology executives at companies with more than 500 employees and at least $500 million in annual revenue. But, what about small to mid-size businesses? Without the deep pockets of their corporate brethren, how can SMBs move the same direction?
We suggest building these cybersecurity cornerstones into your zero-trust foundation:
- Train, Train and Train: Because cybercrime evolves, cybersecurity education must, too. And not just awareness programs for employees about better passwords. Involve your IT pros, including drills and simulations.
- Back Up, Back Up and Back Up: Successful business continuity depends on active disaster recovery measures. And recovering from a cybercrime disaster such as a ransomware attack hinges on reliable data back-ups – ideally in a hybrid cloud environment.
- Don’t Go Solo: TechRepublic reported 83% of tech execs surveyed plan to seek support from an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP).