Mobile technology has progressed leaps and bounds in the past 20 years – we’ve moved from using brick-like cellular phones with huge antennas to super-slim, touch-based smartphones, tablets, and convertible laptops. With the parallel growth of the Internet, these devices have helped us get even more connected and made life extremely convenient, but this increased connectivity has also heightened the security risks associated with mobile devices. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that Wi-Fi and mobile devices will account for nearly 80% of IP traffic by 2025.

We’ve already discussed how cyber attacks are a serious threat to businesses and the best ways to stay safe from such attacks. If you have a small to mid-sized business, you may feel that you don’t need to worry about cyber security as much. However, this is not the case at all. According to industry statistics, almost two-thirds of all cyber attacks are now directed at small businesses. In the unfortunate event that your business is hit by a cyber attack, what do you do? We list down the five most important steps to take in such a scenario.

We’ve already discussed the benefits of hiring an MSP for your business. We’ve also looked at the importance an MSSP in ensuring top-notch security for your networks and systems. Are there any differences between what MSPs and MSSPs can do for you? Here we look at the key differences between the two, and help you decide exactly what your business needs.

Now, more than ever, businesses are looking to strengthen their security against cyber threats and attacks. There are several bases that need to be covered when it comes to defending against cyber attacks. Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), in particular, are at a significant risk since they don’t usually have the expertise and resources at hand to build a strong line of defence.

We’ve already looked at some cybersecurity trends for 2018. With the evolving and emerging threat of cyberattacks, it is increasingly important for businesses to set aside sufficient budget for cyber security initiatives. According to recent reports, many businesses set aside about 10% of their total IT budget for cybersecurity.

In 2017, even large Fortune 500 enterprises weren't safe from cyber attacks, but they also weren’t the only target. The 2017 Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) states that “43% of cyber attacks against businesses worldwide target small companies.” However, only 14% of small businesses rate their ability to mitigate cyber risks, vulnerabilities, and attacks as highly effective. This lack of planning for risk mitigation explains why about 60% of small companies go out of business within six months of a cyber attack.

Ransomware is malware that infects computers (as well as mobile devices) and restricts their access to files, and the attacker usually threatens permanent data destruction unless a ransom is paid. Users are given instructions for how to pay the ransom in return for the decryption key to get back their data. The ransom can range from few hundreds to thousands of dollars, payable to the cybercriminals via cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. Ransomware attacks have grown into epidemic proportions globally and are notorious as the “go-to method of attack” for cybercriminals.

A managed service agreement is more than a vendor simply delivering a service to you; it’s a partnership built on a unified vision of success. After hiring a Managed Services Provider (MSP) for your business, there will be a significant transition that affects not only your internal IT department, but also your end-users and your organization as a whole—both day-to-day and long term. It takes time to build trust in any business relationship, but it is the key to the success of the relationship.

We've addressed how the managed services model can be beneficial for small and mid-sized companies by handling functions, such as application support, network monitoring, and data center management, thus allowing internal IT teams to concentrate on more strategic and higher-level business initiatives.

So, you’ve decided that your business could use some outside help on the technology side and you’re thinking about bringing in a managed services provider (MSP). Your reasons for looking at hiring an MSP may vary.