Are you underestimating the real cyberthreat risks against your business?

It has been noted that smaller businesses do not often believe that they will be targeted by cyber criminals. In The IT Company’s previous blog post, Cyber Criminals Target Small Businesses, we discussed why the lack of concern the majority of SMBs’ have on their cyber security is naïve and a huge risk. After the release of a recent survey, the importance of understanding that there arehuge cyber risks on SMBs is critical.

In an article by Channel Futures, they describe that smaller SMBs do not find themselves as much of at risk because they, “tend to believe cybercriminals will not target them, and they consistently underestimated their real threat risks. They are less likely to value cybersecurity resources and outside partners for threat prevention, because for lack of a better word, they appear unrealistic about the real threats they face.”

So ask yourself again, are you underestimating the real cyberthreat risks against your business?

A recently conducted survey, Cyberthreat Index for Business Survey, revealed some major security concerns regarding SMBs (small and medium sized businesses) in the United States. The survey was conducted by the University of West Florida and a Zix company. The survey took information from 1,000 different decision makers of SMBs within the United States. The results were not only telling, but something that business leaders should be aware of. With the results of this survey, it demonstrated that those who are underestimating the risk of the cyberthreats against them, are naturally increasing their risk further.

The results of the Cyberthreat Index for Business Survey,revealed pertinent information including:

• More than 75% of executives say Facebook presents significant security concerns.
• Nearly half of SMB leaders say their confidential business data is scattered across multiple locations and devices, making it difficult to secure the data.
• The drop between the Q1 and Q2 index demonstrates threat fatigue and an ongoing complacency toward cybersecurity risks.

The Vice President of survey partner, Zix, stated that there are very evident patterns in the survey results. He claims that SMBs continue to have perception biases of using cloud-based data storage. While the number of SMBs that use the cloud has increased (which is a positive!). It is evident in the survey results that half of them are unsure if their cloud is secure.

Which leads us back to the fact that SMBs are underestimating the dangers of cyber threats against them. By falsely assuming that they will not be targeted, small businesses do not properly protect themselves. And the lack of protection gives cyber criminals a huge advantage and easier access. The large issue at hand is that SMBs lack awareness of just how prevalent cyberattacks are and how at risk they are.

“The survey provides deep insights into the attitudes and concerns of decision makers at SMBs.”

If you are a decision maker of a SMB and you feel you are underestimating the security risks of cyberthreats, do not wait until it is too late. Take action now to become more aware of the risks on your business. If you feel you do not have the proper IT security in place to protect you to the degree you need to be protected, reach out to The IT Company. Your security and happiness is important to us.