Ask any IT manager about their greatest challenges, and patching will undoubtedly earn a spot at the top of the list. Keeping up with the constant need for new patches is difficult – which is why many companies end up falling behind.
Not only can disaster strike at any time, it likely will, and your business’s very survival could depend on its disaster recovery (DR) capabilities. The evidence is clear: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an above-normal hurricane season, and much of the West is in extreme drought and prone to devastating fires that in the past have destroyed businesses and critical infrastructure. In one recent survey of 5,600 IT pros, 66% said disaster struck their organization in another form having been hit by ransomware in 2021. The pace and sophistication of cyberattacks continue to grow, as I pointed out in my blog describing the variety of attack vectors coming at you.
We talk a lot about cybersecurity in our posts because it’s on the top of almost everyone’s mind today. What often gets lost in the conversation is the need for sound physical security practices and securing AV communications. These areas are also vital if you want to fully protect your data and business. As our CEO wrote in a recent post, “physical security and good AV tools are keystones for success.” At the same time, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has written about the convergence of physical security and digital security, even offering a Cybersecurity and Physical Security Convergence Guide.
In the last two years, we all witnessed a startling adjustment which forever changed the business landscape—due to a pandemic. While business managers stepped up to work through the logistical headaches created by a burgeoning remote workforce, there was a parallel, but insidious problem brewing within the business environment that needed to be addressed. That is, this new development required remote work cybersecurity policies and practices be established in order to keep organizations safe from the explosion of cybercrime.
A recent survey of 5,600 IT professionals found that 66% of respondents said their organization had been hit by ransomware in 2021. That makes ransomware recovery a critical element of any disaster recovery (DR) plan. But disasters run the gamut from earthquakes and hurricanes to hardware failures and power outages. Most companies simply aren’t prepared for the wide range of ransomware and cyberattacks that cybercriminals employ in their hunt for victims.
Most executives think of their Information Technology as just one element of their business, when their IT department is, in fact, the crucial underpinning allowing them to fulfill their mission. When it comes to IT solutions providers supporting those efforts, business leaders sometimes employ a strategy more arbitrary than a deliberate, orchestrated approach—going to one provider for telephones/VOIP, another for cybersecurity, a third for virtualization, servers, and network equipment, and so on.
