Business Risk Management in the Age of Cybercrime
The risk of cyberattacks has never been higher, with a 23% increase in online criminal incidents affecting South Africans in 2023 alone. As the executive suite comes to terms with the huge probability of cyber-attacks, there’s a new realisation that these incidents are more than just an IT problem and represent one of the biggest business risks of our era.
As you plan your company’s strategy over the medium to long-term, it’s important to keep the prospect of digital crime firmly in mind in terms of risk mitigation.
Here are some compelling reasons to view cyber risks as business risks and take concrete steps to keep your data safe.
Cyber security vulnerability affects every industry
Ransomware, data leaks and breaches, and hacking attempts are having a huge impact on the online security of millions of companies worldwide. If your business has any kind of online presence or banks digitally, it’s equally at risk – and this reality needs to inform your cybersecurity planning.
Industries that deal with confidential customer financial information, including the banking sector, can become major targets for cybercriminals due to the sensitive nature of the data they handle.
Hackers know that these organisations will be keen to recover lost customer information before it becomes a reputational and financial loss for them, and therefore look forward to a generous ransom with a high probability of the money being paid over.
The financial industry is especially vulnerable to these types of attacks with no specific legal requirements in place for banks to ensure high-level cybersecurity.
This has prompted some commentators to suggest that SA should adopt legislation similar to the EU’s Digital Operations Resilience Act (DORA). This law sets out specific IT security standards that institutions which handle other people’s money are required by law to follow.
Mitigating business cyber risk
To keep your business information safe at a time when cyberattacks are increasing exponentially, it’s essential to prevent these crimes before they happen. Here’s how.
- Prevention is better than cure. Ensure that your business is fully prepared for a cyberattack by updating your data security and keeping a constantly updated copy of your most important files. Data stored securely in the cloud will give you more options in the event of a cyberattack.
- Obtain buy-in from executives. If your CEO or operations manager is still not taking cybersecurity seriously, presenting to them on the potential risks and the benefits of investing in secure cloud storage should be your first priority.
- Take cybersecurity beyond the IT department. Comprehensive staff training on cybersecurity basics as well as how to identify suspicious messages that could be phishing attempts are essential steps toward building a safer organisation.
Cyber security is an essential component of every company’s risk management strategy today and will only increase in importance in the future.
Our range of secure cloud storage packages will give your organisation the peace of mind that comes from having encrypted storage to keep your sensitive data safe. Visit our product page today to learn more.