The economic crisis caused by the pandemic has made it difficult to own or manage a company. This is especially true for small businesses , as they are the hardest hit during crises. After all, representing 30% of the country's gross domestic product , small businesses account for a large portion of the Brazilian economy, reinforcing the importance of this sector.
cybersecurity tools .
Digital security is still seen as a mere gimmick by a large portion of small and medium-sized enterprises, at least until they suffer an attack . Therefore, with an unfavorable economic scenario, the last thing they will worry about is protecting themselves from something uncertain to happen.
But anyone who thinks that way is mistaken. Avoiding cyberattacks can directly impact a company's revenue, considering the repair costs or the considerable loss of customer trust when they are notified of the attack. Furthermore, the LGPD ( Brazilian General Data Protection Law) may soon impose fines if companies in Brazil do not take measures to comply with the principles of security and prevention , as required by law.
Reinforcing the situation in the country, up until September of last year alone, there were more than 3.4 billion cyberattacks in Brazil . Numbers that could multiply in 2021.
There are countless myths and outdated or ignorant ideas about the subject, and so I decided to debunk the main myths about cybersecurity in SMEs , which you will see in the following lines.
1st – Only large organizations suffer cyberattacks.
It's a myth!
The first one, I believe, is the most worrying. It's a big mistake to think that only large companies are targets of hackers. Of course, the media only reports security breaches against governments and large corporate entities, but simply because they get more views and engagement. However, small businesses suffer cyberattacks daily, and these attacks are based on their financial capacity.
Another important factor that deserves mention is that small businesses typically have less protection, making them easier targets for cybercriminals .
According to the 2020 Cost of Data Breach Report , sponsored by IBM Security and conducted by the Ponemon Institute, a data breach costs companies in Brazil an average of R$5.88 million .
Smaller targets tend to be more vulnerable in the eyes of hackers, therefore, keeping small and medium-sized businesses secure online is indeed important .
2nd – After a cyberattack, it is possible to recover quickly, with little downtime.
Another myth in the business environment, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises.
A cyberattack can result in massive disruption to any company, large or small. Downtime will depend on the type of attack and the company's prevention policies. Furthermore, the time to resolve the issue may depend on the professionals responsible for recovering the data or information affected by the attack. With backup tools , for example, this time can be reduced.
I couldn't find concrete figures on the average time it takes a company to recover from a cyberattack; after all, this time depends on many factors. The Supreme Court of Justice, for example, took several days to resume its activities .
In some cases, the recovery time will be until the ransom for the stolen data is paid, for example. This is the case where there are no data backups and the only option left is to pay the cybercriminals to get your company up and running again.
Therefore, don't expect that in the event of a breach of the company's internet security, a simple antivirus scan will solve the problem.
3rd – Cybersecurity is expensive.
Perhaps 10 years ago, cybersecurity was considered a high cost. Because there were few alternatives for this purpose and the targets were mostly large companies, solutions to prevent attacks were quite complex and required a high technical and financial investment.
However, nowadays there are several tools designed for cybersecurity in companies. Thinking that the cost of basic security is high is a myth . Solutions and tools are adapted to the needs and sizes of businesses.
Basic tools for internet security for businesses include:
- Backup
- Antivirus
- firewall
- Internet access control
- Business VPN
Each solution has adaptable and specific values depending on the company's usage. Furthermore, depending on the company's size, some more expensive tools become unnecessary due to lower network complexity.
In the article "How much does basic data security cost for a company?" you can find more information about each solution, and of course, the prices.
4th – The responsibility for the company's internet security rests solely with the IT professional.
For a company to leverage technology, it needs robust and always-available IT systems to generate revenue, reputation, and brand value. But, just as clearly, for IT system security to be well-executed, leaders need to support the decisions and suggestions of the IT department , whether they have 50 or 50,000 employees connected to the company.
So, another myth!
It is pointless for a manager or owner to determine that the responsibility for the company's internet security lies solely with the IT professional if, in this case, the manager has not provided them with the financial support or organizational assistance in terms of IT infrastructure.
It is, of course, the duty of the IT professional to identify the needs for effective data security within the company and present them to management when approval for implementation is required.
The same applies to the opposite. Even if the manager identifies a need, if the IT professional vetoes or disregards it, the company's digital security may be compromised.
What is the conclusion?
The lesson is simple : the digital security of small and medium-sized enterprises must be taken seriously by all managers and professionals involved, and it can indeed cause significant damage to finances, infrastructure, operations, and reputation with their clients.
We know that SMEs face many challenges . They are under constant pressure to grow and are doing so by deploying larger, skilled workforces. But strengthening cybersecurity can be worthwhile.
The information generated by small businesses can be the deciding factor in their growth and competitiveness in the market. When used online, this data needs to be protected, which is why so many internet security systems and tools exist. With this in mind, we created the Internet Security Guide for Businesses , which contains a wealth of extremely useful information on the subject, as well as free downloadable tools and materials.
Regardless of the size of your company, stay safe and secure online.
Until later!
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