Over the last decade, cybersecurity has rapidly evolved and is an essential investment for businesses of all sizes. For small businesses and medium-sized businesses, cybersecurity has become vital to daily operations. While larger corporations can invest in additional security measures, small businesses often struggle to stay ahead.
Below, we’ve put a comprehensive guide to cybersecurity for businesses that you can follow and use when choosing the best cybersecurity service provider that best suits your business.
What is a Cybersecurity Service Provider?
A cybersecurity service provider is an organization that provides security to a company that wants to protect its information from cyber-attacks and data breaches. This team of professionals works together to take the stress off your IT team and will take care of adding security solutions such as firewalls and other protection that your company requires.
A cybersecurity service provider is responsible for monitoring your software, providing awareness for your employees with training, and vulnerability assessments to identify security flaws. They provide risk management plans to handle a variety of situations just in case of an actual attack. Their team of professionals will provide you with day-to-day service, making it worth the investment to keep your profits and customer information safe.
Types of Cybersecurity
The last thing you’ll want to do is open up your business to cyber-attacks. Having cybersecurity measures set in place will ensure that your business stays free from threats. Below are six types of cybersecurity you may run into.
Information Security
Information security designs tools that will protect your business from disruption and other threats. Information security plays a vital role as it’s explicitly designed for data security. The main point of information security is confidentiality.
It ensures that only authorized users, applications, and other authorized systems can access information.
Network Security
When most attacks happen, they occur over a network, so network security is designed to identify and block cyber attacks. Network security includes data and access controls to put through safe-web use policies. This type of security provides software technologies to ensure your company is safe from a variety of threats.
Network security acts like a wall that places itself between your network and threats. As a company, you’ll want to protect your network to efficiently meet the demands of your employees and customers. Some types of network security include:
- Firewall - A barrier that places itself between your internet and external network.
- Email security - Security breaches commonly happen through emails. When you have email security this prevents attacks and losing sensitive data.
- Anti-malware software - Anti-malware software will scan, monitor files, and remove or fix any known damages.
- Application security - If you have applications to run your business, this may sometimes open you up to threats. Application security can patch vulnerabilities and prevent data breaches.
- Data loss prevention - Data loss prevention will prevent employees from sharing or uploading sensitive information by risky methods.
IoT Security (Internet of Things)
The Internet of Things security focuses on protecting connected devices and networks in IoT. It involves adding internet connections to a system of devices, machines, or objects. Each “thing” has an identifier with the ability to automatically transfer data to a network.
This allows your company to connect to several devices, which could set you up for potential threats from hackers if not protected. Internet of Things security includes techniques, strategies, and other protocols that help mitigate vulnerabilities of your business.
Critical Infrastructure Security
Infrastructure security protects critical infrastructure areas such as servers, IT centers, data centers, and network communications. The main focus of infrastructure security is to limit vulnerabilities from unwanted threats.
If your company relies on critical infrastructure, you should be aware of the liabilities and put the protection in place it needs. Hackers can target your utility systems to take down your business, so it’s best to develop a contingency plan.
Application Security
Application security is a needed security system to protect your systems. It uses software methods to take down threats that can arise in the early stages of an application’s development. You can access applications more over networks, which is why security measures should be put into place during the development stages.
Some types of application security may include antivirus programs and encryption programs. These programs help ensure that hackers are prevented from accessing. Your company can detect sensitive data assets and have them protected through the application security process.
Mobile Security
Mobile security, also known as wireless security, can protect your company’s phones, laptops, computers, tablets, and other portable devices and the network it’s connected to. It protects your devices from threats that may arise in wireless computing.
Types of Cyber Attacks
There are five common types of cyber attacks that happen within a business.
1. Password Attacks
Password attacks happen when hackers make attempts to gain information from your company’s data. Password attacks commonly occur from automated tools such as phishing, brute force, and keylogger, with their main goal being to crack passwords.
Password attacks can end in financial loss and identity theft. To prevent password attacks in your company, you should have strong password policies set in place, two-factor authentication, and employee training.
2. Malware Attacks
Malware is short for malicious software and refers to programs that are designed to harm or hack into computer systems. Malware can take various forms, such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, and ransomware. You’ll often find that malware is spread through attachments in emails, software downloads, or online ads.
Have you ever been on a computer and kept dealing with pop-ups? Pop-ups are a type of malware that can cause severe disturbances.
3. Phishing
Phishing is a cyber-attack where a user is tricked into sharing information such as credit card information, passwords, and other sensitive information. These attacks often come from legit sources and happen through email and social media chat messages.
Over the years, phishing attacks have become more challenging to detect. Hackers use strategic tactics to lure users in by clicking links or attachments that can obtain their sensitive information. Hackers will take this sensitive information and commit identity theft or fraud.
To protect your company from phishing attacks, you should have security settings in place and employee training to make your employees aware of suspicious emails or messages. Before opening anything, you should always verify before you share personal and sensitive information.
4. Man-in-the-Middle
A man-in-the-middle attack is a cyber attack where a hacker intercepts communication between two parties to steal information and manipulate conversations. The hacker will put themselves in the middle to make it appear they are communicating with each other. This is commonly done through phishing or malware.
5. DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
A DDoS attack targets a website or network by overwhelming it with constant traffic. These attacks are drawn out by using compromised devices to flood the network with large amounts of traffic, which would prevent real visitors from gaining access.
The Benefits of Cybersecurity as a Service
Below are some key benefits of cybersecurity services that you should be aware of before selecting the best service provider.
Saves on Costs
According to research conducted in 2020, cost efficiency is one of the top reasons for outsourcing a cybersecurity provider. Cybersecurity as a service costs less than acquiring cybersecurity within your company. With the shortage of IT talent among skilled employees, it's challenging to find those in-house that are worth paying, so hiring a cybersecurity service provider is the best way to go.
When hiring a manager cybersecurity service, you’ll receive state-of-the-art protection at the most affordable prices. A cybersecurity service provider provides the best service model and eliminates the need for upfront costs, and replaces it with standard monthly expenses.
Access to Experience
When trying to find the best security team, it may sometimes seem like a complex process. Cybersecurity as a service is always available to provide convenient access to a large group of professionals, software, and more.
Since a managed cybersecurity service serves multiple companies, they have enough real-world experience to fight away unwanted hackers. A cybersecurity service provider is typically available all hours of the day, unlike in-house security operations.
Maintained Focus
As the years pass, cyber attacks are becoming more common among both large businesses and small businesses. This creates a large amount of pressure that can make it difficult to focus on the core aspects of your business, which can lead to a decrease in productivity and poor customer service.
With CyberLynx, your company won’t need to worry about any processes that require it to keep threats at bay. Instead, your company can focus its time on growing its business and improving customer service.
What are Cybersecurity Assessment Services?
A cybersecurity assessment service will analyze each level, different response strategies, training strategies, and more. This analysis helps create cybersecurity protocols that can detect and stop threats in their tracks. A cybersecurity assessment can help see any security gaps located in your system and fill with essential training.
Response strategies are put into place to reduce the threat of cyber-attacks and system breaches. With these response strategies, it creates an effective cybersecurity system that can adjust to varying situations and detect threats as they arise. CyberLynx can analyze and reduce the risk factors known to be in security gaps.
How Do I Find the Best Cybersecurity Companies Near Me?
Choosing the best cybersecurity service provider for your company, there are some factors to consider to make your final decision.
Assess Risk and Vulnerabilities
Before deciding on your cybersecurity service, it’s essential to research your risks and vulnerabilities, which is done by using three different types of cybersecurity assessments.
- Risk Assessment - During a risk assessment, you’ll inspect your network in detail to see what risks your company is vulnerable to. Knowing what your threats and vulnerabilities are is essential when prioritizing cybersecurity efforts.
- Vulnerability Assessment - After establishing what your risks are, you should assess how well your network can determine cyber threats. During this assessment, you look at things such as cybersecurity-level awareness and simulations of fake attacks.
- Asset Audit - Asset audits are helpful when analyzing components and determining endpoints. Developing a big picture is essential to know what your current risks and vulnerabilities are.
Consider Future Plans for Growth
When considering your future plans for growth, you will need to think long-term to achieve better results. To assist you with making an accurate decision, you should consider your company’s growth plan and your preferred solution.
Consider Security Tools
When you develop new cybersecurity solutions, they’ll need to integrate with existing data measures. If your existing security tool provides the same solution as your new tools, you won’t need to spend money in this area. However, if the old solution is discontinued, then you’ll need to replace it with a new security tool with better functionality.
Consider User-Friendliness
When you obtain a new security solution, this can either enhance or make user-friendliness worse. For example, if the latest security tool makes employees spend more time on their tasks, then this will negatively impact the user experience. It’s essential to understand how the security tool will affect the current procedures.
Compare Cybersecurity Services
One of the most challenging parts of finding a great cybersecurity provider is to ensure that their criteria match the needs of your company. When making your decision, it requires collaboration, meetings, and making sure you’ve covered all of the basis on points you’re looking for.
Why You Should Choose CyberLynx for Your Cybersecurity Service Provider
At CyberLynx, we can help your company grow faster and give you a competitive advantage by providing you with the best technology that is strategic and affordable. We can provide you with immediate support to ensure you’ll never waste your time waiting on I.T. We offer a variety of services that can help protect your small business from cyber-attacks.
- “Stay in the Lane” Technology
- Intrusion Detection and Response
- Endpoint Detection and Response
- Vulnerability Scanning and Remediation
Contact CyberLynx
If you’re interested in cybersecurity services for your business, give us a call today.
Address: 7315 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 400W
Bethesda, MD 20814
Sales: 301-798-9170
Support: 202-996-6600
Email: help@cyberlynx.com