Investing in Cyber Security: Who even understands it?

More than half of the world’s population is active on the internet. According to Statistica, there are 4.4 billion active internet users globally. That is 58% of the world’s population. This just goes to show that people have really embraced the digital age and that they are becoming more dependent on technology. But do these people actually understand cyber security? 

It is no secret that people find the topic of cyber security boring. Nobody actually takes the time to understand it until, of course, they become a victim of it. Hopefully, people don’t wait to become victims of cybercrimes before they actually know what it is about. 

Most individuals, especially the low-key average individuals, don’t really need to be guarded so much. But it still really helps if they understand what information technology security is all about because they don’t know what will happen in the future. These individuals might reach a point in their lives when they have the power to change the world—that makes them vulnerable to cyber threats. If they gain millions of followers on social media, they become possible targets of cyber security. Or they could become entrepreneurs, then cyber security really becomes an important issue.

However, a lot of business owners think that cyber security is just something indulgent—something extra that you can advertise as part of the reasons why the public should do business with you. It also helps that the term cyber security sounds so posh that it only elevates the business as something more sophisticated than it actually is. 

Entrepreneurs should really think about cyber security as an important matter. It should be a “must” and not just something a business “can” get. 

Cyber security profession, a dying breed

There is a danger of the skills gap happening because of the lack of general awareness about computer security. It seems that no one is scrambling to become a chief information security officer or a cryptographer. People may even be unaware that jobs like threat hunters, malware analyst and penetration tester exist. It may seem like these types of jobs are dying before they even peaked. 

The danger there is that there won’t be any professionals to do the job when it absolutely becomes necessary. For now, cybercrimes are limited because it takes a lot of knowledge and skill to become successful with it. However, it is happening and more often that people would really like to imagine. 

For now, only large corporations really invest in cyber security. It makes sense because they are the most vulnerable. But it certainly doesn’t mean that small businesses are not vulnerable. The worse thing is that small business are the ones that will have a hard time recovering if they fall victim to cybercrime.

An ounce of prevention is always better

How many times have we heard this cliché before? An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. If hackers hack the office system of a business and hold it ransom for a certain amount of money, chances are the business would acquiesce for fear of unproductivity. That money used in paying off the ransom should have been better used on business necessities like seminars for employees, a new piece of equipment and a systems upgrade.

If you don’t pay the ransom, then your work will be held hostage. Hackers will ensure that the system will not work until you pay. Not only will you not be productive for a day or two, but there is also a large possibility that you will lose some important office data. 

Investing in advanced IT security should be thought of as an important part of the business. Entrepreneurs might ask: what is the return of investment? Business continuity! It is the knowledge that no hacker will be able to prey on your business and there is no reason to stop productivity. 

Then you can use your cyber security as a marketing tool. In this day and age, not all small businesses invest in cyber security. So this becomes your edge. When you market your business, you tell potential customers that unlike your competitors, you actually intend to compete by investing in a modern security system to ensure safe and efficient business transactions.