Member Article

Protecting yourself and your business from cybercrime

Just as you insure your home, car, or electronics, protecting your digital assets with robust cybersecurity measures is essential. 

Cybercrime costs the UK economy millions each year, with hacking, phishing, and malware attacks being the most common forms. 

In ITPS’ latest white paper, Cybersecurity – Safety in a $10.5 trillion market, it’s recommended that UK businesses spend around £1200 per employee on cybersecurity annually. Without proper protection, businesses could spend five times this amount on remediation costs.

Here, Simon Hopkin, ITPS’ head of cybersecurity, outlines four ways managed service providers (MSPs) can help safeguard your business from cybercrime.

Proactive threat intelligence

MSPs provide businesses with the tools and insights necessary to identify and anticipate cyber threats before they escalate. This proactive threat intelligence involves analysing trends and patterns in the global cyber threat landscape to forecast potential security breaches.

Such intelligence allows businesses to implement defensive strategies in advance, strengthening their cybersecurity framework against possible future attacks.

Customised security solutions

Recognising the unique challenges faced by each business, MSPs design customised security solutions that align with specific business objectives and risk profiles. This tailored approach ensures cybersecurity measures are not only robust, but directly relevant to the specific needs of the business.

By closely aligning security strategies with business operations, MSPs maximise the effectiveness of their protective measures, enhancing overall security posture.

Continuous monitoring, management and regular auditing

MSPs provide essential services that include regular auditing of a company’s IT systems and continuous monitoring and management. This approach ensures real-time detection and immediate mitigation of cyber threats while maintaining system integrity. MSPs constantly scan for anomalies, breaches and potential vulnerabilities, with IT professionals ready to respond as needed.

Alongside these real-time actions, regular auditing is a critical component. These audits assess the effectiveness of the existing security measures and protocols, identifying areas where improvements or updates may be necessary. This process involves a thorough examination of security policies, access controls and compliance with relevant regulations. By regularly reviewing the cybersecurity infrastructure, MSPs ensure it not only responds to current threats but also evolves to meet emerging challenges.

Together, continuous monitoring, management and regular auditing form a strong cybersecurity framework that adapts to the evolving landscape of threats. This integration of services provides businesses with a higher level of security assurance, which is crucial for protecting against the sophisticated cyber threats of today.

Incident response and recovery

Despite best efforts in prevention, cyber incidents can still occur. MSPs play a pivotal role in ensuring rapid and effective incident response and recovery. They manage the situation from detection to resolution, minimising downtime and restoring system functionality swiftly.

Their expertise not only covers technical recovery but also includes managing compliance and communication with stakeholders during the recovery process. This comprehensive management helps businesses recover with minimal disruption and long-term impact.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bdaily Publishing .