I am very fortunate to have Aaron Hamp, owner of I.N.C. Systems in my business owners luncheon group. About once a quarter, he shares some horror stories about companies that have been breached by the “bad guys” and the related ransomware & other costs they incur. In light of October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I asked him to provide some thoughts for my readers. Here are four suggestions from Aaron:

1. If you don’t have an in-house IT department, make sure to work with an organization that is experienced in supporting similar businesses and has a team of people available to support your organization.  When things go wrong, as they do with technology, you will want professionals who are accessible – when you need them most!  Such a company stays engaged in current security trends and pushes to be one step ahead.
2. Security awareness training for your staff… Your people are the last line of defense, so there should be some effort and resources invested into training them on safer online behaviors.  These lessons not only help keep the company information safer, they provide your team members with tips to protect their own personal online data.  I like to say that we can have the security of Fort Knox, but if someone lets the “bad guy” in the back door, it is all for naught.
3. Have a disaster recovery plan in writing…  Let’s face it, technology will fail you at some point, so have a plan if there are circumstances that can severely impact your company.  Talk through the “what if” situations and make sure you are prepared with a plan in place.  Fire, flood, tornado, ransomware, data corruption are a few threats to consider.
4. Get the appropriate cyber security insurance coverage… Ransomware is so prevalent these days, everyone has heard a story about a business that was impacted by this type of computer extortion scheme.  And some businesses don’t have the right coverage to protect them. Make sure your insurance agent is up to date with the latest threats and periodically reviews your cyber risks.

Thank you Aaron for these practical suggestions.