Companies are being hit by ransomware and other malware attacks more frequently than ever. Apart from the apparent costs (which can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars), the downtime alone can cripple a business. The additional loss of customers’ trust can lead to roadblocks in growth. Loss of employment is another unfortunate potential repercussion of ransomware.
It’s definitely worth taking steps now to mitigate risk, but where does one begin?
In most companies, there are concerns over unpatched systems, issues with identity and access management, and password, asset inventory or encryption issues. Based on a survey by Tech Republic, “… 53% pointed to unpatched systems as their biggest security worry, while 47% mentioned misconfigurations.” Are these a problem for you?
All too often, companies fall into a false sense of security, thinking their internal systems are safe, and they have taken the steps to prevent malicious activity. But a single purchase of anti-virus or security software should not be considered a complete strategy. While these tools bring value, devices, configurations and applications change and therefore, new vulnerabilities can arise accidentally and unknowingly. Unless you have a consistent and defined process the insight you have into your technology environment becomes cloudy, leaving you potentially exposed.
Antivirus isn’t enough to truly mitigate risk one needs to look at hardware, software, system and application configurations, user policies, etc. It’s hard to know where to even begin. That’s why we strongly believe this:
The first thing companies should seek to mitigate is uncertainty.
The quickest way to uncover critical knowledge your company can use to mitigate risks is through vulnerability scanning. By leveraging expertise from Columbus and our licensed tools, you can quickly identify what level of risk your company is facing. Leveraging a partner who already has the tools, processes and expertise will quickly deliver the outcomes your company needs: summarized data, next steps and a remediation plan. Whether through Columbus or not, we highly recommend getting this visibility.
After a scan, Columbus will bring clarity and insight to help you best use your existing tools and resources, and recommend solutions as needed to help you achieve your objectives.
For many organizations, it’s hard to tell which vulnerabilities pose the real threats and which are less worrisome. The value of an experienced partner is in the ability to help you prioritize the actions you take and your investment into the areas that will bring the greatest value.
Give yourself the knowledge you need before a crisis arises. Contact Columbus ASAP to schedule the scan for your company. You can reach me directly via chase.anderson@columbusglobal.com.