How SMB’s Can Best Leverage Cyber Security Services

As cyber threats continue to increase in sophistication and frequency, small to medium sized businesses are feeling the pressure more than ever before to ensure their data is protected. While many of these businesses may feel they do not have the budget or resources to implement a robust cyber security plan, this does not have to be the case. In fact, many cyber security consulting services offer affordable plans that can be tailored specifically for small to medium enterprises. Here we will discuss some of the best cyber security services for SMB’s to start your cyber security journey with and how they can help protect your business.

Compliance Services

With customer data becoming more frequently compromised, governing bodies are feeling the pressure to pass legislation that sets standards for the handling and protection of customer data. As a result, Healthcare, Energy, and Financial Services have become some of the most highly regulated industries due to the value of the data they hold. If you operate in these industries, or any other regulated industry, information security compliance services can match you up with a cyber security consultant that can help set your business up to meet the standards set forth by these cyber security regulations. Your consultant can help you achieve compliance by securing your systems, offering guidance on best practices for handling and protecting data, and setting controls to monitor and prevent breaches from occurring. 

Identifying if there are any regulations that your organization must comply with is an important first step for your cyber security journey. Achieving compliance not only helps you avoid fines from governing bodies, but more importantly, it helps you avoid or minimize the other financial damages that occur as a result of a breach – which accounts for a much heftier amount than the fines themselves (research shows that 60% of small businesses close within 6 months of a breach due to the financial repercussions).

Cyber Security Risk Assessment Services

A cyber security risk assessment helps you identify weaknesses in your cyber defenses so that they can be addressed. Cyber security consultants work with you to evaluate cyber threats, vulnerabilities and the impact of these risks on your business operations. They also review existing cyber security policies and procedures to ensure they are sufficient for protecting your cyber assets. Once these cyber security risks are identified, the cyber security consultant can work with you to implement solutions that mitigate these risks and keep your business data safe. 

A Cyber Security Risk Assessment is a great way to kick off the cyber security journey for SMB’s because it allows you to identify your current issues and prioritize the order in which they should be addressed. Periodic Cyber Security Risk Assessments are also mandated by certain regulations as well, so if you’re pursuing compliance with specific regulations like NIST, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, you may need to have one of these performed anyways.

Penetration Testing Services

Penetration testing is a key component of any cyber security plan as it identifies vulnerabilities that hackers may exploit in order to gain access to sensitive information. Penetration testing is conducted by simulating cyber attacks against your systems in order to assess their security posture. By identifying and addressing these vulnerabilities, you can significantly reduce the risk of a cyber attack succeeding.

Penetration testing is usually included in Cyber Security Risk Assessments, however, if you choose not to conduct a complete cyber security risk assessment, a penetration test is one of the first steps you should take to securing your system. 

Vulnerability Scanning Services

Another important part of cyber security is vulnerability scanning which identifies weaknesses in software and systems that could be exploited by hackers. This cyber security service is often performed by cyber security consultants who will use automated tools to assess your systems for any known vulnerabilities. Once these cyber threats have been identified, the cyber security consultant can recommend ways in which you can mitigate these risks and keep your business data safe.

Vulnerability scanning is another test that is usually included in Cyber Security Risk Assessments. Similar to penetration testing it is one of the first tests an organization should perform to get started on their information security journey if they do not elect to have a risk assessment conducted. Usually Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing go hand-in-hand, with vulnerability scanning performing a more superficial review of gaps in security coverage, and penetration testing performing prodding around to find thin layers of coverage that could be exploited.

Threat Remediation Services

Once a cyber security threat has been detected or an incident has occurred, it is important to have a plan in place for responding to urgent issues, fixing vulnerabilities, and implementing new controls. Cyber security consultants can help your business set up and execute an incident response and threat remediation plan which allows your organization to quickly and effectively respond to cyber incidents, minimizing the damage that can be caused. Security experts can also help you identify how threat actors were able to breach your system and implement measures to eliminate or reduce the likelihood of similar future cyber attacks.

Threat remediation and incident planning are like insurance plans – you don’t see a ton of value when everything is going well, but when you need it, you are glad you have it. By having an incident plan and threat remediation services on hand, you can reduce the time to identify and contain a breach, effectively minimizing the cost of a breach.

Conclusion

As you can see, cyber security consulting services can help small and medium sized businesses stay safe online. By using cyber security consultants to conduct compliance audits, cyber risk assessments, penetration tests, vulnerability scans, and threat remediation; you can ensure that your business is protected against cyber threats.

Do you have additional questions regarding cyber security services? If so, the professionals at Red Lion are here to help! We provide a variety of affordable cyber security services that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your business. So don’t wait any longer, contact us today and get started on securing your cyber assets!