The 5 first steps you should take to protect your business from digital threats

Cyber-attacks are crippling and according to Cyber Insurance Australia, these attacks take an average of 23 days to resolve and cost an average of $276,323 to over 12,000 Australian businesses each year. Ignoring these threats are very risky so you should pay attention and follow the steps below to ensure your business is protected.1. Be aware of the biggest threats at any given timeStaysmartonline.gov.au provide updates on the biggest cyber risks in real time via email and also have very handy information available on their website. Being aware of the latest big risks can sometimes give you enough time to be proactive and stop attacks from occurring. Make sure you communicate internally to plan your defence across the entire business because you don’t want to leave any gaps open for hackers to attack your business. 2. Choose the right virus scanners on emails and windows desktopChoose the right solution for your business so that you’re not breaking budget on things you don’t need and also don’t pick a product that slows down your computers to a point that it impacts revenue. Pc Mag recommend Bit Defender or Kaspersky because of their price and functionality so start with them to see if they fit your business requirements. 3. Induction and IT training for staffTighter policies and procedures prevent cyber-attacks from happening, they also help your business deal with an attack and customer data privacy. Something as simple as communicating the risks of opening foreign emails can save your business from a crippling cyber-attack. Proper training will also improve the speed and clarity of communication across the business in the event of an attack. 4. Keep your software and operating system up to date Software vendors are continuously improving the security of their platforms and these improvements can be the difference between an attack happening and not. If you do not have an internal IT team, speak to the software vendor as they may have a cloud version available that offers auto updates. 5. Make sure your business insurance covers you for cyber-attacksMake sure you are covered for cyber-attacks in your business insurance policy. You don’t ever want to be one of the 12,000 businesses who are attacked, let alone the few who are attacked and don’t have insurance to cover their loss of revenue or damages. Taking these steps will put you in a much better place than you were previously but they will only get you so far. Speak to a cyber security expert if you would like to ensure your business has taken all necessary steps to prevent an attack and also the steps to take in the event of a breach.P.s – We found this absolute gem while keeping up to date with the latest advancements in virus protection, have a read to see what Microsoft are doing to make it easier for you to protect your PCs running Windows 10. https://flipboard.com/@flipboard/-new-windows-10-feature-could-save-milli/f-c1791bf384%2Fforbes.com