Cyber Security? It’s essential
When you hear ‘cyber security’ you may start to nod off – unless you’re me! But the fact is cyber security is essential for business. Like plumbing or electricity, you don’t think about them much when they are working well. As soon as there’s a leak or a power cut, you want to do something about it. The same goes for cyber security – once you experience a breach or a near-miss you want to make sure you have the right processes and systems in place to deal with it. In the same way you wouldn’t have an office without electric or water, you shouldn’t be running a business without a good cyber security plan. Shift the perspective and think of cyber security as a major utility that your business needs to run successfully.
Cyber security is much more than protecting your business from threats and security breaches. More and more, being compliant with recognised cyber security practices and certifications is a necessity and could be the difference between growing your business and losing out on new opportunities.
A good place to start is getting Cyber Essentials certified.
What is Cyber Essentials?
When you drive your car, you can trust that it’s safe because each year you go and get that all important MOT. Cyber Essentials is sort of the same but for cyber security. It’s a Government-backed scheme that sets certain technical expectations and standards that you need to adhere to and pass annually. It makes life easier too, by giving your business a great check list of things that you need to do to make it harder for the “crims” to compromise your organisation.
Why do I need it?
Winning new clients (and keeping current ones)
A Cyber Essentials certification is becoming a “need to have” requirement as threat levels increase and the continued use of technology grows. For instance, if you want to create partnerships or bid on certain contracts (specifically Government, or any big supermarket), you may find them asking you, “are you Cyber Essentials certified?”. This is becoming more and more of a requirement for suppliers, partners and vendors, so it’s best to stay ahead of the curve.
Loss of business
If you experience a breach or don’t have the right security processes in place this can result in a loss of trust from your customers. For instance, if a business has been locked out of their systems, this can stop sales processes in their tracks, this is a direct financial loss to your business. Another consideration is, where do those customers go? A competitor! The longer-term financial impact is created by the loss of trust, which is hard and almost impossible to come back from.
Insurance: Are you covered?
Did you know, you might not be approved for some business insurance unless you have Cyber Essentials? This is becoming a more common requirement by certain providers. Anything your business can do to reduce risk is going to help you get that much needed insurance. Having Cyber Essentials in place could get you that extra layer of protection so if in the worst case you experience a security breach, the insurance will pay out for ransomware and costs incurred from data loss.
What next?
So, you’re now probably thinking it might be a good idea to get Cyber Essentials. You can start by talking to us about the process. We can help you every step of the way to getting certified with our WorkSafer service.
You can call me directly on 01892 830141, or email me rgower-leech@select-technology.co.uk
