Although some parts of your business may be quite enjoyable, cyber security is no joke. You need to be proactive in your approach to keeping your data safe. Penetration testing can highlight your vulnerabilities, allowing you to stay ahead of cyber criminals.
One of the biggest issues your business may face can be legal implications that arise from information being stolen during a security breach. GDPR laws dictate that any customers, or individuals whose data is compromised during a breach, have the right to claim compensation from a breached company. While you may want to offer some incentive to those affected, they may still seek additional compensation via the courts, especially if the breach resulted in distress or damage.
Implementing pen testing can help you to minimise any weaknesses within your systems. Certified testing may also be useful should you need to present documentations within a court to show how your business took as many steps as possible to mitigate risk. This will work in your favour in terms of judge opinion and court outcome.
There are several costs associated to cyber attacks that you would need to keep in mind. Alongside potential compensation for clients and other victims, you need to also think about the costs directly associated with your business. On average, the cost for businesses affected in 2022 was £4,200. This covers business of all sizes. When you look at medium or large businesses, this cost can quickly escalate to £19,400. In contrast, opting for regular pen testing can be priced based upon your business size and needs. Ultimately, this would cost you far less in the long run.
Much like your business vehicle insurance, it is better practice to have this in place and not need it, than to assume you will be fine and end up in trouble.
When you apply for penetration testing your business, you will effectively be asking that company to ethically hack your systems. This can include attempting to gain access from outside of your organisation, as if they were an employee, and even testing your cloud, network, and wireless systems.
It can be far better to have this undertaken by professionals, whose goal is to spot weaknesses and rectify them, than to wait and hope your existing levels of security are enough.
You should already have secure antivirus software in place, as well as other means of security. However, there might be other avenues you have yet to consider which act as a backdoor for hackers.
People may come to know your brand through word of mouth, advertising, and even reviews. Building trust and strong working relationships between yourself and others can be imperative for success. Falling victim to a data breach may permanently destroy that trust. This will not only break down any relationships you have with current customers, but also put off new customers from using your services.
You may even find that company reviews on Google, as well as social media reviews, are also affected by a breach. Word can spread very quickly about both the issues themselves and how you dealt with the fallout.
Instead of needing to take the time to deal with these problems, it would be far more efficient to have a means of testing in place that can prevent the former from being required.
Today’s technology may be tomorrow’s history, as tech is ever-changing. It is estimated that over 2.3 million jobs in the UK alone rely on some form of technology, whether that be computer systems, media, or telecoms.
Consider, for a moment, how much technology has advanced in the past few decades. We now can connect to online platforms from most places thanks to improved internet stability and digital devices. While these can enable you to be more productive, they also provide hackers with more opportunity to gain access as well.
In the coming decades, technology is likely to continue adapting and growing, especially due to the implementation of Artificial Intelligence.
One of the benefits of pen testing is that these tests grow with the technology, allowing technicians to continue testing for the latest issues on the most modern servers and operating systems. Opting in now can help your business to keep up with the latest cybercrime trends, protecting you from these changes as well as those previously documented.
Alongside pen testing for your business, you should also ensure employees are trained in best practices. Utilising Syn-Star’s Dark Web and Cyber Security training will help your team to learn more about malicious content and how to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime. This will also help to strengthen your business security.
To find out more about all our cyber essential training, or implement pen testing for your business, contact us today.
Anne-Marie Blazdell
Anne-Marie Blazdell is a Marketing & Communications Manager with expertise in digital marketing, content creation, and IT solutions. With a strong foundation in graphic design, she trained at Farnborough College of Technology and Southampton Solent University before advancing into marketing and business IT support.
Since joining Syn-Star in 2022, Anne-Marie has specialised in crafting SEO-optimised website content, managing social media, and helping businesses navigate the complexities of IT. Her work bridges the gap between technology and business, making IT more accessible and effective.
Our support is designed to meet and exceed the needs of your business. We’re equipped to provide business support, as your business grows. Our technicians are ready to identify your pains swiftly, rectify the causes, and maintain your business technology for the long term.
You’re device is on an Unsupported Windows Operating System for your security, please contact us.
Team Productivity:
You and your team are able to see where they are using their time and how productive they are actually being. Also they are able to clock in and out, so really good for flexi-working.
Team Monitoring:
If you would like to know what your team is doing and how productive they are being, we are able to monitor them and create screenshots of what they are working on. This can be run in normal or stealth mode.
Book a FREE fact finding session to discuss the different options.
We proactively seek opportunities to support good causes for our community.
From sponsoring local community football teams, to engaging with charity fundraiser days, we believe it’s important to continually strive to do good for the better of others.
We have members who volunteer with youth organisations, are engaged with the Round Table, run marathons and volunteer at events where we may be needed. Every charity receives a discounted IT and Telecoms service too.
Protecting your digital data is crucial for every business and this can start with the industry-leading security we offer. The Syn-Star specialists can help with identifying any vulnerabilities within your IT systems and act accordingly to ensure cyber-attacks and data breaches are mitigated.
Your business will never fall behind with its technology when you work with Syn-Star.
We understand IT and Telecoms for your business is an investment, but it’s important to use the best resources available to enable the growth of your business. Our IT Consultancy and Virtual IT Director Services are available to support you with how you use your business technology for years to come.
Syn-Star can conduct quick and easy phishing exercises to identify people within your team who need to improve on their knowledge around fraudulent emails and how they can be alerted to these threats.
At Syn-Star, our experts can proactively work to understand exactly what software you need to support with the business operations. Whether you need a listening ear on what software to choose, or would like to seek some specialist knowledge, we’re here to help where we can.
At Syn-Star, we keep Telecoms simple. There’s so much available to help UK companies with their communications. VoIP systems, fixed landline, cloud phone systems, SIP trunking and more. Contact us for further details.
Desk phones, cordless phones or conference phones, Syn-Star can provide you with whatever you need.
From conference calling facilities to the headsets which work best for your team, we’re able to provide all the equipment you need and complete any telecoms job from start to finish.
There is no need to be in the office to make and receive phone calls from your company’s number. Our market-leading Telecoms platform gives you the flexibility of desk phones, soft phones and mobile apps as standard.
Whether your team works remotely, or perhaps staff are on a business trip anywhere in the world, calls can still be made, and people are reachable via phone wherever they go.
With a range of products, our team can support you by installing exactly what you need for internet connectivity. We work with the very best products to provide speedy bandwidths which play a part in the increased productivity of your team.
