There have been some huge news stories this year about cyber attacks and the impacts they are having on UK businesses.

Huge retailers have been affected including the Co-Op and Marks and Spencer, however the most shocking report we saw was the case of KNP which has led to the ultimate closure of the business.

It shouldn’t be news to you the seriousness of cyber attacks on business, but if the worst does happen – how can it be mitigated? That’s what we’re discussing today.

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. This means putting in place practices to reduce the likelihood of a cyber attack on your business.

We’ve written elsewhere on the blog about how to ensure you have super strong passwords and the benefits of keeping antivirus software up to date – but it does bear repeating that these are important basics you should put time and effort into getting right.

Putting in place regular staff security training is also really important. The attack on KNP mentioned above came via just one member of staff having a weak enough password to exploit. It just to show that good security practices are everyone’s responsibility.

Even with the best intentions issues can arise. You can take all the precautions in the world and it won’t completely eradicate the risk of a cyber attack. So if the worst does happen what should you do?

Hopefully you have a strong data recovery plan in place or a series of plans to execute if problems arise. If not, it is worth making some time to map one out. If you don’t know where to start that is something we can help with.

The other thing to ensure you have in place is cyber insurance. As the world becomes a more uncertain place this will be invaluable, and is becoming a non negotiable for many businesses.

In the event of a cyber attack, even if it is ultimately unsuccessful, it is important to learn the lessons of what has happened and putting in place strategies to stop it from happening again.

A good starting point could be refresher training for your staff – or making sure that anyone who hasn’t had appropriate training receives it.

It can also be useful to look up how other businesses are dealing with the issue of cybercrime. Whilst it’s no guarantee that a solution for someone else will be a solution for you, it might help you to identify issues you hadn’t thought of.

The more of these strategies for address potential cyber attacks you can put in place the better for your business. It is important no only to have the systems in place to deal with a cyber attacks, should one happen, but also to ensure that you aren’t presenting yourself as a potential target for cyber attackers.

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to protecting your business, WebbyTech is here to help. You can see the full range of services we offer here or contact us directly for a no obligations conversation.