Cyber crime is on the increase and reported incidents are regularly being publicised in the national press. Businesses can no longer afford to ignore this very real and significant threat to their security and finances.
The cost of a serious security breach can average between £65k and £115k for small businesses* and substantially more for larger companies. Every organisation should have some form of information security management system in place to provide protection against an attack.
ISO 27001 consultants
Certification to the standard by experienced ISO 27001 consultants will identify areas of risk, provide controls and establish policies and procedures that will reduce risk and minimise the effects of an attack.
The cost of an attack can be devastating, with some businesses unable to recover from the damage caused, which can include:
- Loss of company and client data
- High IT costs involved to repair the damage
- Adverse publicity and damage to reputation
- Legal consequences and costs
An effective management system will limit disruption and keep your costs to a minimum.
Defending your business from attack
A holistic and systematic approach is required involving all areas of your business; employees, processes and technology.
Risk assessments will identify areas of weakness and vulnerable assets. The implementation of systems and controls can then be established to manage the risk.
The management system needs to allow for continual improvement, monitoring and record keeping to maintain its effectiveness as technology evolves and risks change.
Security policies for your employees and contractors working on and off site will need to be established to protect company systems and data from theft or harmful malware.
The requirements will be different for every company and you will need an expert with specialist knowledge and skills to advise you on what is needed to keep your business safe from attack.
*Figures taken from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads