Technology has become essential for businesses to survive and compete, but with that comes the threat of cyberattacks. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need strong data security solutions from managed IT services providers (MSPs) in order to protect themselves.
Data breach numbers in 2022
SMBs have become much more susceptible to cyberthreats over the past few years. Among the ones small businesses face are misconfigured systems, social engineering, credential stuffing, and ransomware attacks. As per Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report for 2022t, 20% of data breach victims were SMBs. Additionally, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2022, the average cost of a data breach increased from $4,240,000 to $4,350,000.
When you look at these figures, you can see that it’s high time SMBs take cybersecurity seriously. By working with a trusted MSP, you can protect your business from potential cyberattacks and give your customers a more secure experience.
Why MSPs?
Working with MSPs is the most successful method for thwarting cyberattacks. Here are some of the IT services an MSP provides:
- Data encryption – This changes readable data into an illegible format. An authorized user is the only one with the decryption key that can make the data readable again, meaning that if the data is taken without permission, it can’t be read by the unauthorized party for as long they don’t have the key.
- Data backup – Data backup is the copying and storing of data so that the latter can be replaced if it is corrupted, deleted, or made inaccessible by ransomware.
- Around-the-clock monitoring – Cyberattacks can strike at any time. MSPs make certain that any potential dangers are discovered and addressed promptly by having someone monitoring your networks and systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Firewall and other network safeguards – By creating a barricade between the company network and the intarwebs, firewalls secure confidential information such as trade secrets and employee records. Additionally, networks can be set up to permit some types of traffic through while blocking others. This way, certain resources can only be tapped by authorized users.
- Active threat prevention – This security solution uses tech that can spot and stop cyberthreats as they emerge. It can neutralize a cyberattack to protect your data and ultimately safeguard your bottomline.
- Cybersecurity training – SMBs should always be aware of cybersecurity threats, and MSPs can help by facilitating security awareness training. This type of training will teach employees how to spot red flags and know the best ways to keep company data secure.
By having managed IT services, you are essentially setting your business up for success by giving yourself a more efficient and secure infrastructure. With the help of an experienced team of professionals, you can avoid any costly downtime in the future and be confident knowing that there is always someone available to assist with technology-related problems. Use our managed IT services pricing calculator so that you can figure out the ROI of availing of our top-notch tech services.
