With access to client data, medium-sized businesses are a lucrative target for cyber criminals. And yet, as Jack Viljoen, Head of Cyber at Prodinity discovers, not every company has a role dedicated to cyber security….
According to the latest UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey, nearly half of UK businesses experienced some form of cyber attack in 2022; the most common being phishing emails, account takeovers, malware and attempted ransomware. The consequence of a security breach can be costly – from both a financial and reputational point of view; however, such risks can be mitigated if the right security measures are put in place, and most crucially, if they are carried out by the right person.
Unfortunately, judging by our latest Prodinity poll, this isn’t always the case; more than a quarter of respondents stated that they relied on CTOs and CIOs to take on the role of cyber security, and nearly 10 per cent revealed that their CEO or COO regularly took charge of this job. While these figures are cause for concern, thankfully more than half of respondents did confirm they had a dedicated Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to look after their cyber security measures.
The rise of the CISO
The role of the CISO is still a relatively new one, having only emerged in the last decade, so this growth is good news, especially for medium-sized businesses, which tend to be more at risk of a cyber attack. With a large digital exposure (think websites, emails and even social media), a reliance on smart technology, plus access to client data, medium-sized businesses are a valuable, and often easy, target.
This is why the role of the CISO is so critical. The vast majority of cyber breaches are still caused by human error (from inadvertently downloading malware to sharing sensitive data over unsecured networks), so having a CISO on board ensures team members are continuously educated – and therefore aware – of new and evolving cyber threats.
Of course, sometimes it isn’t always possible to have that skill set in-house, which is why here at Prodinity we offer Virtual CISOs to make sure your cyber security is covered.
Contact us to today to find out more: https://prodinity.com/cyber-security
