Ron Cervantes

One common chorus coming from many small business owners is “Why would anyone want my business data?” They feel that their size and business type protects them from a cyberattack.

Back when technology was still a new concept in offices, an antivirus used to be considered “cybersecurity.” But both cyberattacks and IT infrastructure have come a long way since the early 2000s, and companies now need a multi-layered security stack if they want to defend themselves against threats.

When planning a backup and recovery strategy, one area that many companies neglect is their cloud data. They think that since the cloud can sync and store data files online, this is a form of protection.

The hybrid workforce is just about past being the new keyword in business. Most companies are now settling into the new normal of having employees work remotely and at the office as needed.

The pandemic hasn’t only fueled a work-from-home workforce, it’s also caused a steep rise in cyber threats. In the third quarter of 2021, ransomware attacks increased by 148%. And during the first half of the year, phishing volume jumped 22%. 

If you use Microsoft 365 for your business or are planning to subscribe to it soon, you’ll want to know the details of an upcoming price increase that Microsoft says is the “first substantive pricing update since we launched Office 365 a decade ago.” 

Software vulnerabilities are unfortunately common. But lately, it seems like the ones impacting many different types of devices and platforms are becoming more prevalent.

If you’re like most companies, you work employee awareness training into your mix of cybersecurity safeguards. When staff is well trained in security-related subjects like password security and how to spot a phishing email, studies show that company risk of a cyber incident can go down 45% – 70%.

Misconfiguration is one of the main threats to cloud data security. When companies don’t properly configure cloud platform security settings, they can leave accounts unprotected and susceptible to a data breach, business email compromise, or account takeover.

Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Enterprise have several plans to choose from. If you’re on one of the lower-level plans, you may want to consider an upgrade for a variety of reasons.