Why Your Business Needs a Security Risk Assessment

Why your business needs a security risk assessment

Cybercrime is an ever-increasing risk. As technology advances, so do the abilities and tactics of hackers who would just love to get their hands on your sensitive business data. To them, the information you hold in your systems is like a gold mine just waiting to be dug-out.

However, some business owners dismiss the possibility of a data breach with several different excuses:

“Of course, my data is secure. We bought the most robust antivirus software several years ago!”

“Our data isn’t really sensitive, so no one would bother trying to hack into our systems.”

“Eh, we’ve never been hacked, so why would anyone target us now?”

All of these rationales are some of the main reasons people do get targeted and attacked. Hence the importance of an immediate security risk assessment.  

What Is a Security Risk Assessment?

Simply put: a security risk assessment is a risk analysis performed on your network and cyber security measures to determine exactly how vulnerable you are, and just how difficult (or easy) it is to hack into your system. If your defenses are up to snuff, penetrating them should be rather difficult, right?

Statistically, however, most people are surprised at the results. In a recent study, 75.6% of organizations were found to have encountered at least one successful cyber attack within the past 12 months. That’s three-quarters of all businesses. 

That’s why it’s essential to perform a security risk assessment on your business network. In doing so, you’ll discover its vulnerabilities and how best to remediate them. 

Plug the Holes and Build up Your Defenses

Let’s say you have a friend who is a locksmith. He comes to your house for a visit, and notices your lock doesn’t work, allowing anyone who knows about this vulnerability to open it quickly and easily. He then tells you there has been a sharp increase in home intrusions lately. It would make the most sense for you to immediately fix this vulnerability and protect your family and personal items. Correct?

Why, then, would you not take the same measures for the livelihood of your business and your co-workers? With 31% of customers saying they’d discontinue their relationship with a breached entity following a data breach, and 65% of consumers saying they lost trust in an organization after being affected by a data breach, it certainly is best to. 

Once all vulnerabilities are identified, that’s when the work begins. Your first priority should be to quickly plug these security holes in order to keep cybercriminals out while you bolster your defenses. Then you can begin to create a robust network security strategy for your organization.

Find Vulnerabilities Before Others Do

The hard truth of the matter is: if a security risk assessment can find vulnerabilities in your system, others can as well. That being said, it’s not particularly easy to be a hacker. In order to succeed, they have to spend a considerable amount of time on a particular network, taking painstaking and tedious measures to try to discover any weakness in a defense specifically designed to stop them. It’s their hope that you’ve missed something, and that they can exploit it to their benefit. Cyber criminals make money off the backs of others – profiting from the hardships (or even demise) of businesses. Don’t let them.

When you partner with an MSP skilled in performing these kinds of assessments, you want them to find areas where your network’s defenses are lacking. It’s no benefit to your business avoiding acknowledging a risk. You want to know every way a cyber criminal can enter your network and make a rock-solid plan to keep them out of it. 

KME Will Secure Your Network

In business, it truly is “survival of the fittest.” Your security measures are in place to deter cyber criminals from moving onto another target. If you succeed, and other businesses follow your lead, we can collectively help reduce cybercrime simply by employing proactive preventative measures.
But first, you have to come up with a plan to do so. That’s where we come in. We’ll help your business determine its vulnerabilities through a security risk assessment, and take what we learn to create a robust network defense strategy that protects your sensitive data. Reach out today, and let’s get started safeguarding your network.