How Vulnerable Is Your Business To ‘Insider’ Crime?

If you run a business, have you considered the implications of what could happen were you to fall victim to ‘insider’ crime?

Have you for example:

Had a new computer system installed recently?

Made people redundant?

Had anybody leave your organisation ‘under a cloud’?

Now I’m not suggesting for one minute that your current or former employees would wilfully cause damage to your computer technology or attempt to steal from you, but equally there’s little point in pretending this kind of thing doesn’t happen either.

Everyone who has ever had access to your computer systems will have been privy to a certain amount of ‘insider knowledge’, whether that is in the form of log-ins, passwords, or other sensitive information.

As a business, it is vital that you take steps to make your IT set-up as ‘bullet proof’ as possible. To this end, using penetration testing experts to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities within your computer systems is a necessity for all committed business owners.

The 2012 study by the Ponemon Institute: “The Cost of Cyber Crime”, revealed that cyber crime costs UK organisations around £2.1m a year and that the UK companies polled reported 41 successful attacks per week (equivalent to 1.1 incident per organisation polled).

What’s more, Ponemon’s researchers found: “the most costly UK cyber crimes are those caused by malicious insiders, ‘denial of service’ attacks and malicious code.”

And sometimes, it isn’t malicious intent on the part of employees or former employees that can bring about a company’s downfall. Cisco’s recent Connected Technology report found that seven out of 10 ‘Gen Y’ young professionals frequently compromise their employer’s security to access ‘the Net’ – blatantly contravening IT rules and regulations for their own benefit.

Worryingly, credit firm Experian warns us that online fraud in the UK has trebled in the short period since 2010 and is predicted to get worse.

It is clear that every business and organisation needs to conduct a risk assessment now, and follow it up with a series of practical preventative measures that will effectively combat identified threats. Though the stark reality is, that many companies will not have staff with sufficient expertise to do this effectively.

Reassuringly, 98% of potential cyber threats to your livelihood can be eradicated completely once they have been identified. It is this identification process and ‘plugging of gaps’ which requires specialist knowledge and to this end, the services of a reputable penetration testing company will prove invaluable.

As an employer, you will know that your biggest asset is your workforce. By doing everything you reasonably can to thwart cyber threats – both from the inside and outside – of your business, you will be demonstrating your commitment to your staff’s welfare and wellbeing, as well as protecting the interests of your business.

The Importance Of Social Media For PR In SMEs

For many directors of small and medium sized companies, PR can sound like a foreign term; something only multinationals and celebrities can afford and certainly not a tool that can be exploited by SMEs.

In direct contrast however, these very same directors are reaching out to customers like never before. Communicating with clients directly through social media has become the norm for many SMEs across the world and the likes of blogging, podcasts and e-books means companies can be closer to their clients than ever before.

The fact is, much of social media marketing is PR and hence it is absolutely vital that business gets it right when communicating with their clients online. Whilst successful social media campaigns can be extremely lucrative, getting wrong can be disastrous. In a world where every action and reaction can be shared amongst millions of people in seconds it is essential that all firms, SMEs and larger companies alike, are internet savvy and appreciate exactly the role social media has on PR.

A Google search for ‘PR training London’ testifies to the importance of PR and the role it is playing in SMEs across the UK today. As more firms realise the importance of their online presence they are signing up for training courses to ensure their firm’s brand and image is displayed to the world exactly how they would like.

Testimonials on the ‘London PR training’ sites will also address the fact that there is so much for companies to bear in mind when it comes to PR and social media. With every move scrutinised by thousands, if not millions of followers it is important every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed.

Of course, a successful PR drive will often involve more than just a social media presence. Sponsorships, press releases and events are all key ingredients in the PR campaign package although none are as accessible as social media campaign.

SMEs launching their first online PR campaigns need to be aware of marketing concepts such as ‘brand image’ and ‘tone’. Whereas such marketing drives were once outsourced to expert marketing companies, smaller businesses are cutting back on costs and attempting to go it alone; another reason PR training courses have become so popular.

There are also legal considerations that need to be addressed when launching social media PR campaigns, particularly when exploiting techniques such as social media competitions that encourage the creation and sharing of content on the web. IP considerations such as copyrights all need to be taken into account when operating such PR promotions.

To conclude, PR has never been so accessible for SMEs and arguably it has never been so important. By getting it right online companies can dramatically increase sales and even profits. Getting it wrong however, can yield seriously detrimental consequences.