Business Owners 12x More Likely to Be a Cyber Security Target Here’s What You Can Do About It

cyber security target

As a business owner or operator, it is up to you to protect yourself and your employees from cyber attacks. Unfortunately, many small business owners either underestimate the damage a cyber attack can cause or fail to take the proper steps to protect themselves. Below is a look at some reasons why business owners are more likely to be a cyber security target and some steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Why are Business Owners More Susceptible to Cyber Attacks?

A recent study by Verizon highlights how vulnerable business owners are to cyber security attacks. When compared to other employees, business owners and senior executives are a dozen times more apt to become a victim of a cyber security attack. Small businesses were especially likely to be targeted, accounting for 43% of cyber attacks and data breaches. Here are a few reasons why business owners and executives are more at risk:

They are incredibly busy

Business owners and top executives are usually preoccupied with the day to day activities of running a business. They are so busy focusing on customer issues, troubleshooting, and promoting their business that they do not have time to think about cybersecurity. 

They often know little about protecting themselves

In addition to having little time to think about IT threats, business owners typically know very little about cybersecurity. They have no idea about the most common threats or what measures they can take to protect themselves.

They think they are immune to attacks

Small business owners, in particular, are especially likely to think that they will never become a target of a cyber attack. They often assume that hackers will target larger, more profitable companies, and therefore focus little on prevention.

They underestimate the damage an attack can cause

With the average cost of a cyber attack now exceeding $1 million, a cyber attack can spell financial doom for a business – especially a small one. Between lost productivity, service disruptions, and a poor customer experience, cyber attacks can cause lasting damage to a business.

What are some simple steps you can take to help prevent attacks?

The path to preventing cyber attacks begins with knowledge and training. By having a keen understanding of your risks, you will be motivated to increase your focus on cybersecurity. Here are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself from cyber attacks:

  • Make cybersecurity a top priority at your business
  • Incorporate cybersecurity details into your training initiatives
  • Ensure data is kept in a safe, secure location
  • Implement security surveying and testing procedures
  • Closely manage your internet firewall protection

What is the single best way to protect yourself from cyber attacks?

As outlined above, there are many reasons why business owners are at an increased risk of cyber attacks and data breaches. And while there are some measures you can take to help prevent these problems, the single best way to protect yourself and your business is to seek the services of an experienced IT partner. An accomplished IT partner will work with you to educate you and your team about the most common threats. More importantly, they will arm you with a strategic plan to protect you from those threats.

As New York’s premier provider of IT services, AE Technology Group is your solution to preventing cyber security attacks. We invite you to contact us to discover why business owners across NYC and Long Island trust us to protect their identity and their companies. For 20 years, we have delivered five-star IT support and management to businesses of all sizes. We look forward to giving you and your business the cyber security protection you deserve!

Tips on Purchasing Computers for Your Small Business – Computer Tip of The Day

tips on purchasing computers for your small business computer tip of the day
Purchasing Computers for Small Business

For most modern businesses, their office’s computers are their most valuable tool, and having quality, high-speed computers can help to boost productivity.

However, due to the vital role computers play in most offices, it can be daunting for small business owners to choose new computers when it comes time to replace their current units. With so many different options on the market, it can seem overwhelming trying to choose the right computer.

To help get you started, here are a few things you should consider when choosing new computers for your small business.

Don’t be Afraid to Spend Money

If you are like many small business owners, one of your primary concerns when choosing new computers for your office will be your budget, as you will not want to go overboard on how much you spend on new technology. However, it is also important that you do not overcompensate by buying the cheapest computer on the market.

If you go too cheap with the computers you choose, the lack of processing speed and memory will cost you more in reduced productivity than the amount you would have spent purchasing a better model. It is important to see purchasing new computers as an investment in your company.

While you don’t need to buy the most expensive computers, it will be in your best interest to at least go for a mid-range model.

Consider Whether You Will Require Portability

Another thing you will want to consider is whether you should purchase desktops or laptops for your business; in other words, you will need to decide whether portability is important to you.

Having employees work remotely from home is growing in popularity among businesses in a variety of industries. However, allowing employees to work on their personal computers can be complicated and may pose a security threat. However, it can also be costly to provide employees with separate work laptops.

If allowing your employees to work from home is something you want to start doing, you may want to consider purchasing laptops instead of desktops for your office, as this will allow your employees to take their work computer with them when they will be working from home.

Contact us for additional advice on things you should consider when purchasing new computers for your small business.

How Can You Protect Your Business Data During Logins?

how can you protect your business data during logins

The more inconvenient you can make it for would-be criminals to get your business and customer data, the less likely they are to try. Unless they are specifically targeting your business, there is almost always lower hanging fruit. Here’s how to tighten security with just a few simple changes:

Have two-step password recovery or logins.

If you’ve ever forgotten your password to an account through Google or ADP, you’ve been given an extra passcode for extra authorization. More and more companies are turning to adding a second, manual step to prevent mass password reset requests and to prevent typical bots from being able to complete the process. So add this extra step for when your customers need new passwords and when your employees log in.

Never give out forgotten passwords.

Several years ago, you would be sent your password if you forgot it. But companies and online services gradually started switching to password resets instead. This isn’t necessarily because it’s any easier on the hacker’s end to recover the password instead of resetting it. But the fundamental architecture of old password recovery systems was a spreadsheet. You’d enter your username as part of your password recovery request, the system would find that string of characters in the ‘username’ column, and then you’d receive an email with whatever was in the ‘password’ column. If hackers know how your information is organized, it’s that much easier to steal.

Use a physical key for administrative access.

A physical token is also an icon of early Internet security. Instead of two-step verification apps like Duo, people used to get remote network access through their computer login and by plugging in a token that provided a long string of randomized characters: one of the most secure passwords.

For truly crucial information and access portals, like your server administrator’s or CTO’s computer, use a token. They’ve become more and more secure, and the element of physical security makes it that much harder to break into.

For more security tools, go to AE Technology Group.

 

What Are Managed Services for New York Businesses?

what are managed services for new york businesses
Managed Services

If you are new to owning a business or perhaps have just never considered using IT services you are missing out on a service that could make the operations of your business run a lot more smoothly. AE Technology Group offers managed services to New York and Long Islands businesses. We specialized in providing services to small to medium businesses that don’t want to deal with the hassle of managing IT in-house.

Managed services offer both preventative and on-demand IT support to our clients. The are many benefits to hiring AE Technology Group to provide your IT services. The first is that we always have on-demand support. IT issues are rarely convenient and need to be repaired as soon as possible to keep your business running smoothly. Thanks to today’s technology, almost any IT problem can be fixed remotely. So if you give us a call we can help solve your problem quickly without having to make a trip into your workplace.

Another benefit of managed IT services is that it saves your business money and space. Having your own in-house IT takes up space and hiring full-time IT staff might be more costly than hiring outside support. And an additional benefit is that managed IT services come in packages depending on what you need. You will probably find many of your IT needs fall under one of our packages provided at a low monthly rate.

For more information about managed IT services, contact us today at AE Technology Group.

Cybersecurity for Business: Here’s How to Secure Your Technology Now!

cybersecurity for business here how to secure your technology now

No matter what size business you run, adequate cybersecurity for business is likely at the top of your to do list this year. Cyber-criminals are targeting both small businesses and large businesses alike.

Cybersecurity for business

In addition, most people don’t realize that what’s attracting cyber-criminals to their targets is,

  • Simple and unprotected entry points,
  • Weaknesses,
  • Vulnerabilities, and
  • Outdated hardware and software

The only way to truly know where your business’ vulnerabilities lie is to work with an expert team.

In May of 2016, several large banks experienced breaches across the various financial networks they use to transfer money like SWIFT. Cyber-criminals transferred money illegally across these networks after they gained access to the data via old bank computers that had been compromised some time ago. The computers also had no modern protections installed. Staff never destroyed the computers or took them offline.

In addition to weak hardware, cyber-criminals spot weaknesses in human nature and gain easy access to your organization using social engineering tactics. In fact, higher-level executive employees are more likely to fall for phishing scams called whaling.

For the most part, handling your own IT is not the best way to handle modern risk.

There are new cyber threats every day. It’s financially impossible to hire all the staff you need to ensure your company’s bases are covered. When you work with an MSP, you work with a professional IT services company that manages and secures your technology.

This offers your organization:

  • Advanced productivity and technology performance,
  • The best security,
  • Reliable connectivity and redundancy. (Your staff can get more done with fewer outages and downtime).
  • Plenty of room for one or several servers in our world class data center, and
  • Support for all the devices and operating systems you use

At AE Technology, we believe in proactive tech support. That means we monitor your network 24/7/365, and complete routine systems maintenance every few months. Because of this, issues don’t catch us off guard. We apply patches and updates regularly; and your system is always updated with the latest tools and technology. We equip your software to resist all new cyber threats.

The only way to have access to the resources your business needs is to work with a qualified MSP. Contact us today to get started!