How do you know you're protected? 

IT. You can’t live without them. They’re there when your darn email stops working or your laptop won’t work like it’s supposed to. They stand up antivirus and firewalls for security. They’re great to have on your side. But, just like the rest of us, they’re being torn in so many directions. And they know that checking their own work takes time, and more importantly, just isn’t good security practice.

In today’s business environment, you have to trust your IT resource as downtime will bring your organization to a screaming halt. Even if that person may be your long lost cousin Alfred. Which begs the question:

Just how safe and secure are you?

The reality is, IT systems can be complicated and hard to keep up with. And today’s hackers know that too well. They understand the weaknesses of small and midsize businesses and work hard to exploit those vulnerabilities. All it takes is a small slip up. One checkbox missed when installing a program. One patch not put through when it should have been. The list goes on. Little things lead to big problems.

Want to know how you’ll hold up against a hacker? Get tested!

A 3rd party assessment and test of your IT system is a critical part of your successful cybersecurity program. By regularly scanning your networks (and websites) and conducting ethical hacking efforts on your systems, you can truly understand if you have a chink (or opening!) in your armor.

A detailed scorecard will outline how you performed and where your IT folks can make improvements. Reviewing those results shouldn’t be a finger pointing exercise, rather a collaborative approach where everyone is working together to improve defenses and protect against the bad guys.

It’s important to test regularly as threats and vulnerabilities are constantly evolving.

With the recent news and spike in activity, a lot of folks are considering a minimum of one annual ethical hacking exercise and quarterly vulnerability scans. And if you’re under any compliance regulations such as PCI or HIPAA, testing is actually now mandated.

Get tested! When the bad guys come knocking and can’t get in, you’ll be happy you did.

Remember: Cybersecurity isn’t a project, it’s a posture.

Stay Safe,

Your Friends @ Defendify