What does it mean to be cyber secure? For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Birmingham and Lichfield it means implementing robust cyber security practices to ensure your business is safe in the event of a cyber-attack. Many SMBs don’t have cyber security precautions in place because they think they are too small to be targeted by cybercriminals. However, with the recent increase in attacks on UK SMBs, it’s clear that no business is too small to be targeted.
Understanding the Cyber Security Landscape
Cyber threats have evolved dramatically over the last few years, particularly in 2023, as an online news article reported that almost half of the ransomware groups that have been tracked in 2023 began their operations that same year. With new and more sophisticated ransomware attacks prevailing, this means a significant increase in downtime and financial losses for SMBs. These incidents highlight why comprehensive cyber security isn’t just about protection but also ensuring your business can continue operating no matter what challenges arise.
Business Continuity: Your Lifeline in Crisis
Business continuity has become crucial for SMBs. In January 2024, Storm Henk’s severe weather caused destruction across the UK. For the midlands, businesses were drastically impacted by the storm’s harsh winds, which impacted travel, power outages, and debris, all causing destruction and bringing the region to a temporary halt. This is the time where having a business continuity plan in place can be the difference between having to shut your business operations down until the storm passes and being able to continue business as normal.
At MT Services, we implement comprehensive business continuity strategies, ensuring your operations continue even during cyber incidents or natural disasters. Our solutions include automated failover systems and rapid recovery protocols, minimising potential downtime from hours to minutes.
Security Awareness Training: Your First Line of Defence
Human error remains the leading cause of security breaches. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, by the UK government, reported that in the last 12 months, around a fifth of businesses have provided some form of staff training. This works out at around only 18% of businesses that were surveyed, which is shockingly low when thinking about how human error is one of the most common factors in a data breach. Employee training can support your business by providing your staff with the knowledge and skills to spot ransomware, phishing attempts, and suspicious emails or links.
Our security awareness training programme transforms your employees from potential vulnerabilities into active defenders of your business by simulating real-world scenarios to prepare your team for actual threats.
SaaS Backup: Protecting Your Cloud-Based Operations
With more businesses relying on software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, protecting this data is paramount. It is becoming more common for organisations to end up learning the hard way that Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace don’t automatically backup all your data. Our SaaS backup solutions ensure your critical business data is secured and readily available. When a Lichfield-based accounting firm accidentally deleted three months of client data from their cloud storage, our backup solution enabled full recovery within hours.
Comprehensive Security Audits: Understanding Your Vulnerabilities
By conducting regular security audits, you can reveal any vulnerabilities within your security and get them fixed before a cyber-attack can cause harm. Our security audits go beyond basic assessments, with our consistently evolving audit process to include advanced penetration testing. Recently, our audit for a Birmingham manufacturing firm revealed critical vulnerabilities in their legacy systems, allowing us to implement protective measures before any breach occurred.
How MT Services Supports Your Cyber Security Needs
At MT Services, we provide tailored IT support solutions for businesses in Birmingham and Lichfield. Our approach integrates all these essential security elements into a cohesive strategy. We’ve seen firsthand how cyber threats have evolved in our region, and we continually adapt our services to stay ahead of emerging risks.
Making Cyber Security Accessible
We understand that, as an SMB, you need cost-effective solutions that don’t compromise on security. Our IT support services in Birmingham and Lichfield are designed to be scalable and affordable, ensuring that robust cyber security is within reach for businesses of all sizes.
Take the Next Step in Protecting Your Business
Don’t wait until a cyber-attack impacts your business to take action. Businesses with comprehensive cyber security protection are able to fully recover from cyber-attacks within days. This is in comparison to SMBs without protection in place, where it has taken weeks to get sufficient restoration of their data and essential systems before they were able to get back up and running.
Contact us today to discuss how we can enhance your cyber security posture. Our team of IT support specialists in Birmingham and Lichfield is ready to help protect your business from evolving cyber threats.
