Connectivity enables customers to eliminate the need to buy, maintain and depreciate hardware. Instead, it delivers everything as a subscription model on a per-user-per-month basis.
As digitalization continues to become more widespread, the connections between on-premises, remote, and cloud apps are exposing a growing attack surface. If not properly managed, this can lead to operational, reputational, and financial damage.
Data Loss
Data loss is one of the most significant risks when not implementing secure cloud and remote connectivity. Data is worth much more to attackers than anything else, making it an ideal target for hackers to steal.
Typically, cybercriminals use malware to steal and destroy personal information, financial information, intellectual property, or other sensitive business data. They also use phishing scams to gather information about employees, customers, and prospects.
Data loss can be caused by multiple factors, including user error or misconfigurations, server downtime, or malicious software installed on a device. Identifying and tracking these incidents can be challenging, so you must have a robust and comprehensive security solution.
Another risk to your network is a need for more visibility into the traffic between users and their applications. This can cause malware and data loss prevention policies to fail, leaving your organization at risk of a data breach.
A lack of visibility into user and app traffic is a huge problem for organizations that rely on mobile apps and devices or that allow users to access their corporate resources remotely. An excellent secure connectivity solution will inspect user traffic to ensure that data loss prevention and malware policies are applied to prevent data loss or unauthorized access.
The best way to address this problem is to adopt a secure cloud and remote connectivity platform with a zero-trust architecture, combining identity, policy, and context to connect users to their apps and resources securely. This approach enables direct user-to-app connections, eliminates the risk of lateral movement, and stops compromised devices from infecting other resources.
Security Vulnerabilities
Many technologies, gadgets, and hardware make up the modern network, each with its security vulnerabilities. The best way to secure your network is to take the complexity out of the equation by implementing secure connectivity as a service.
Vulnerabilities can occur in various ways, including misconfigurations of the technology, unauthorized third parties, and user errors. One of the most common security flaws is a malicious exploit called code injection. It can have many harmful consequences, from stealing data to disrupting business operations.
The most important part of the whole process is to identify and mitigate all known vulnerabilities. Among these are security patches for critical software and security measures such as endpoint encryption, firewalls, and other network layers of defense.
Keeping a close eye on the latest innovations and advancements is crucial in defending against growing cyber-attacks.
While there are many security threats, some of the most notable include phishing scams, maliciously exploited or compromised credentials, and other malware like ransomware and spyware. The most effective countermeasures rely on continuous monitoring and a robust security strategy that includes a mix of on-premise and cloud-based security tools. It’s no wonder that security breaches continue to rise, and data loss is a leading cause of lost revenue and reputational damage.
Network Downtime
Network downtime can be costly for any business.
Planned downtime is when a network is intentionally taken offline to perform maintenance or upgrades. This procedure is necessary to ensure that the network works appropriately in the long run.
Unplanned downtime occurs when a company experiences an outage that is not scheduled, which can result from various reasons. These include human error, equipment failure, or a natural disaster.
Understaffed IT departments are another critical risk factor for network downtime. When the IT department is understaffed, it can cause problems monitoring resources, managing upgrades, and responding to system failure alerts.
Hardware is typically well-engineered and durable, but it can still fail unexpectedly. Outdated hardware is especially vulnerable to failures, but even newer equipment can experience problems.
Power issues are another common cause of downtime, as a single power outage can disrupt the entire network. Having redundant power supplies connected to different circuits helps prevent this issue.
Security attacks, such as hackers and cyberattacks, are also primary sources of network downtime. These attacks can slow down or crash networks, which can also cause data loss and theft.
The best way to avoid these risks is to use secure connectivity as a service. You can keep your network running without issues by ensuring it is well-maintained and monitored. In addition, using automation tools that provide centralized network management will enable your IT staff to track down any problems quickly and efficiently.
Data Breach
A data breach is the loss of sensitive information in a business, which can significantly impact the company’s bottom line. The information stolen could include personally identifiable information such as Social Security numbers and credit card information, health records, or employee records.
The risk of a data breach can be minimized by following a few simple steps. These include notifying law enforcement and other affected businesses, contacting customers to inform them about the breach, and ensuring that your website is free of any compromising information.
Ensure a data forensics team is in place to capture evidence and analyze the breach. This will help you understand what happened, what caused the incident, and how to fix it.
Determine your legal requirements for notifying people about a data breach.
Talk with your forensics team about the best way to notify your customers. Some companies send emails or mail notifications, while others post website updates.
If you send emails, ensure they contain clear and concise information about the breach. This will help you limit your customers’ concerns and frustration while saving you time and money in the long run.
A data breach is the worst thing that can happen to your business, and taking the proper steps to mitigate this risk is essential. These include securing your network and implementing cloud-based solutions that prevent data breaches in the future. In addition, you should hire a team of forensics experts to identify the source of your breach and determine how many people were affected.
Fraud
Fraud is a growing concern among businesses of all sizes.
As fraudsters evolve, so do their tactics and techniques to steal and defraud online. With so much attention focused on payment fraud, businesses must ensure they have processes and tools that help prevent it early to protect revenue, mitigate costs, and deliver an exceptional customer experience.
Often, business leaders are unaware of the risks of digital fraud and do not have the tools and resources needed to combat it. This can lead to financial losses and a poor reputation, ultimately damaging a company’s growth.
You should establish secure email protocols and implement password management to combat fraud. It would help if you also worked with banks or processors to ensure their tools and anti-fraud services are trusted and validated.
Additionally, you should isolate your payment systems from other, less secure programs and only provide employees access to some data systems. This can help to prevent hackers from taking advantage of employees and stealing sensitive information.
Despite these steps, fraudsters are constantly evolving and finding ways to take advantage of companies’ weaknesses. This is why it’s essential to continuously evaluate your fraud prevention strategy and stay on top of fraud trends and emerging threats. It’s necessary to have a real-time fraud detection and monitoring solution that can identify suspicious behavior and patterns as close to real-time as possible. This lets you quickly identify and stop fraudulent activities, reducing your risk of losing valuable business and causing significant reputational damage.
