Dependable Cybersecurity Services In NW Indiana

Cybersecurity Services In NW Indiana

October is officially the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the US. Cybersecurity Awareness Month was launched in October 2004 by the US Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance and provides critical information to help all Americans stay safe and secure online.

Since its inception, the Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaign has grown massively to reach millions of consumers and thousands of SME businesses, corporations, educational institutions, and other entities leveraging IT environments across the US. The theme for 2021 CSAM is ‘Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart,’ intended to remind individuals and organizations of the critical role they play in protecting part of their cyberspace.

Cybersecurity Facts and Statistics in 2021

Today, cyber-attacks continue to impact several businesses and organizations across the USA, leaving in their wake massive data loss, disruptions of systems, damaged reputations, revenue losses, and more. Recent studies reveal that cybercrime is up 600% due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty brought about by remote working. The following are some of the other key cybersecurity statistics in 2021:

• In 2021, cyber attacks occur every 11 seconds, up from 39 seconds in 2020
• Remote work has increased the average cost of a data breach by $137,000.
• 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses
• 95% of cybersecurity breaches are a result of human error
• Only 16% of executives say their organizations are well prepared to deal with cyber risk
• Over 77% of organizations do not have a cyber-security incident response plan

2021 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Schedule

Throughout October 2021, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) focus on the following areas of outreach:

October 1: Kick-off

The NCSA and CISA kicked off a range of outreach programs designed to raise awareness of the information and tools that individuals need to stay safe and secure online.

Week 1 (October 4) Be Cyber Smart

With all aspects of our lives depending on technology, our personal and business data on connected platforms has become a goldmine for a cyber criminal. Week one of NCSAM highlights the top-notch security measures and other integral cyber hygiene practices that keep your information safe.

Week 2 (October 12) Fight Phish

Since the start of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, phishing attacks targeting entities have soared and currently account for over 80% of all reported incidents. Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month stresses the importance of taking proactive measures to protect your environment from phishing attacks.

Week 3 (October 18) Explore. Experience. Share (Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week)

Week 3 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on Cybersecurity Career Awareness programs facilitated by NICE. Currently, the US faces a dire shortage of cybersecurity professionals, further undermining the war against cyberattacks. The week-long campaigns seek to inspire more people to explore cybersecurity careers. It aims to encourage more people, including students and veterans, to consider a career in the rapidly growing cube security field.

Week 4 :(October 25) Cyber Security First 

Week 4 emphasizes the need to prioritize security in your IT environment. It encourages organizations and businesses to build security into their products and processes. In the current rapidly evolving world of cyber-attacks, appropriate cybersecurity measures should not be an afterthought.

What to Do to Be Cyber Smart

Undoubtedly, this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebrations serve as a timely reminder for individuals and organizations to reevaluate their cybersecurity posture amid a dramatic rise in cyberattacks across industries.

The following are some of the ways to stay cyber smart and prevent breaches:

Train and Educate Staff

Your employees form the first line of defense against a range of cyberattacks. With studies revealing that 95% of all attacks are due to human errors, regular security training ensures your employees are abreast of the latest threat intelligence and attack methods. Apart from reducing stress, security training also helps eliminate risky behaviors while reinforcing company-wide best practices and the ideal cybersecurity culture within the organization. After training, ensure you conduct periodic drills in your own environments.

Conduct a Detailed Assessment of Systems 

Regular audits of your systems and general security posture can help identify potential new gaps in your systems and networks. A cyber security risk assessment ensures the cyber security controls you are implementing are appropriate to the risks that your organization is facing. Without a risk assessment to inform your cybersecurity steps, you might underestimate or overlook potential risks that could cause significant damages. More importantly, mitigating the risks identified during the assessments will prevent and reduce costly security incidents and data breaches.

Work With Cybersecurity Professionals

Cyberattacks are getting more complex both in scale and severity. Many small and medium-sized enterprises may not have the resources to recruit and retain highly skilled cybersecurity experts to protect their investment. Working with experienced cybersecurity professionals on an MSP basis can be a great way for businesses to maximize their network security at a fraction of the cost of building a large cybersecurity team internally. Most managed cybersecurity service providers boast extensive cybersecurity experience and in-depth knowledge of typical network security issues and vulnerabilities that actors exploit. They have also invested in top-notch security tools and technologies that your in-house teams are not familiar with. This helps improve the capabilities to respond to a range of evolving cybersecurity challenges.

How Schilling IT Can Help

Schilling IT has provided reliable IT support services to several businesses and organizations in NW Indiana for several decades now. We are ranked as one of Indiana’s top cybersecurity consulting firms, providing a range of custom security solutions designed to protect your environments from all forms of cyberattacks. We understand you may not have enough resources to mount a large-scale IT team capable of handling the ever-changing threats posed by actors.

As part of this year’s Cyber Security Awareness Month celebration, Schilling IT is offering a cheaper and easier option to outsource your cybersecurity services to a well-equipped and experienced team of IT engineers. We have all the resources to implement robust cybersecurity measures to secure your data and systems against unauthorized access.

Some of the services that we offer include 24x7x365 monitoring and protection, threat and vulnerability assessments, security awareness training, managed cloud security, managed endpoint security, compliance management, and more. If you need more information on securing your data and systems, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.