In the telecommunications world, each new year presents new opportunities, challenges, and possibilities. The businesses aiming to have the most success will do so by discovering the best technology strategy.
It’s never too early to begin anticipating what will arise in such a high-tech space which is ever-evolving, and it’s imperative that business leaders explore all options when it comes to the solutions and services they utilize.With this in mind, Call One’s executive team joined forces to share their predictions for 2017. In this final part of this series they examine rising cyber-security risks and how small-to mid-sized businesses can better protect themselves. (See parts one and two of the series)
Business leaders must overcome a number of issues on a daily basis, however, few yield greater risk than cyber-security threats. In fact, data breaches rose 23 percent from 2014 to 2015. Between December 2015 and December 2016, 51 percent of adults in the United States suffered a security misfortune ranging from a stolen password to a hacked account. In addition to those staggering statistics, large corporate security breaches, such as the Target attack of 2015, have been filling the news.
What can users do to protect their data? According to Call One’s Chief Executive Officer, Chris Surdenik, a business leader’s best defense is a combination of new technology and old-fashioned human tactics. Surdenik discussed how the Target breach is a good case study because while the hackers were able to access information through the IP address for the HVac system, the real break-down was within the passwords. All of Target’s credit card machines were being used with the standard manufacturer password.
“Companies and individuals within companies have to understand that these devices are vulnerable. They cannot just get a device, throw it onto a network and leave it with a manufacturer’s password because the manufacturer’s password lists get hacked,” explained Surdenik.
While business teams are encouraged to follow traditional steps such as frequently changing passwords and avoiding use of common passwords, technological advancements will also aid in keeping data secure. Call One President, Alan Burkhard, sees opportunity for new services that help clients do just that.
Burkhard referenced new security services being developed which will become crucial components for small-to mid-sized businesses. As technology changes, decision makers will begin to get rid of the hardware application base and will want to migrate over to the cloud. New developments will allow better network protection.
“This parlays into wanting a ubiquitous network element that says businesses can block what they want on the fly for, not just one location, but all the locations that are connected at the Multiprotocol Label Switch [MPLS] off layer 2 or 3. This will be a huge component that will help mitigate the hacking that can occur with the Internet of Things [IoT],” said Burkhard.
Cyber security no longer consists of measures taken after an unfortunate event occurs. We are now in a world where companies must be proactive in protecting their networks and data. For some clients this may seem daunting, however, when the right precautions are taken, the task can be far less stressful than expected.