There are some pretty serious myths and misconceptions about cyber security which you may come up against when selling IT security.
IT security can be a minefield of misconceptions and myths, you may need to lift the veil and reveal the harsh truth behind the curtain when speaking to a prospective client. We’ve done our best to provide some quick answers.
Cybercriminals are only interested in certain types of company
It’s true that successful hacks into banks gets most of the headlines, but to believe that they’re the sole focus of cybercriminals is simply not true. If your customer holds or processes payment information, personal information about employees, or files relating to any sort of intellectual property, then that data has the potential to be stolen or held for ransom. Virtually any business of any size in any industry is now a target.
Cybercriminals are not interested in SMBs
This one needs knocking on the head fairly swiftly. In fact, according to the Federation for Small Businesses 66% of small businesses have been a victim of cybercrime. And it’s easy to see why, with large enterprises investing heavily in raising their cyber defences, cybercriminals will happily attack companies whose defences prove easier to overcome.
I know my staff and trust them
Smalls teams of people working closely alongside each other creates a great working environment but not necessarily a secure one. Without appropriate training, processes and procedures, these staff are more likely to leave PCs and other devices unsecured and much less likely to spot a potentially harmful phishing email.
We have antivirus software. That should be sufficient protection
This particular myth is right up there and any client believing it needs educating about the strength of multiple layers of cybersecurity - such as a firewall, data backup, and encryption - that are really needed to protect their data.
We can recover our data fairly easily
Reality here can sound very harsh. Actually you won’t. In fact, you’re more likely to go out of business instead. In fact, according to Experian, 60 percent of SMBs that suffer a breach go out of business within 6 months. The truth is, data breaches can destroy SMBs.
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