Wrapping IT security around your online environment is crucial

Alongside our GDPR events schedule we’re also publishing a series of blogs throughout August focusing on the IT security element of GDPR, and how it can help you not only become compliant but protect your corporate data.

We’re helping UK businesses to understand how they can use technology within their businesses to comply with GDPR as the May 2018 deadline fast approaches. TSG is hosting a GDPR event that will give a full view of how key technologies can help your business to comply with the new EU guidelines.

This event will allow you to speak directly with our specialists, and our experts will be on hand at each location to discuss GDPR, IT security and answer your burning questions. The GDPR events will be held in Newcastle, Manchester and London, you can sign up here.

Your online environment

The technology environment is becoming more and more complex as we start to factor in all of the avenues we must consider when talking about security. This all starts with people and how they interact with devices and corporate data. Gone are the days where we’d have 1 PC on a desk; we now have access to multiple devices, from tablets to home machines that staff may use to access corporate data on. There are social sharing sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as well as traditional methods such as email, USB sticks, WiFi sharing etc.

In addition to this we must consider traditional as well as cloud-based infrastructure, whether that is public, private or hybrid cloud services. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand, we’re seeing more and more access from devices such as smart TVs, hard drives etc. All of these elements that make up your online environment increase what we call the ‘attack surface’.

Wrapping security and backup around your ever growing IT environment is crucial to protecting your corporate data. Utilising tools with built-in security such as Office 365 (something TSG also uses) is great, but assuming you are automatically protected is simply untrue.

Don’t assume your data is automatically protected

We need to break the myth that company data is automatically secure and untouchable. Understanding how to protect your data regardless of where it’s stored is vital to businesses of all sizes, as we continue to see cyber-attacks such as Ransomware take down businesses.

54% of UK businesses have been hit by Ransomware. – The Guardian

We’ve seen case after case of companies who have been hit hard by cyber-attacks that have the ability to hold data to ransom and bring a fully functioning business to a halt.

Our unified message to companies is to ensure your data is properly secured, in order to protect your business from cyber-attacks and criminals that seek to steal your data and hold you to ransom? There are a number of technologies that can protect your business data such as Intercept X, a solution that can stop Ransomware in its tracks; you can see an Intercept X case study here. Phish Threat is a solution that generates simulated attacks in order to educate staff, raise awareness and train employees to know what to look out for; you can read more about Sophos Phish Threat here.

To find out more about how your business can utilise technology to comply with GDPR register for our event here.