TouchPoint Networks Blog Articles

Educating Customers on the Importance of Cybersecurity Insurance

September 20th, 2022 by admin

 Close up of a man in a suit typing on a laptop with a holographic display with a shield that has a keyhole on it over his hands to represent cyber insurance

Leading MTSP Shares How to Protect Businesses from Cybercrime

EUGENE, OR – TouchPoint Networks, a leading managed technology services provider (MTSP), is educating small to mid-sized business (SMB) owners on how they can protect their organizations from the crippling blow that a cyberattack wields upon any organization with cybersecurity insurance. While cyberattacks have unfortunately grown in frequency and according to Inc.com, "60 percent of small businesses fold within 6 months of a cyberattack," Cybersecurity insurance has become a vital component of any organization's risk mitigation efforts because it can eliminate liability from any damages which occur as the result of a cyberattack. This includes ransom payments, regulatory fines, public relations costs to restore your reputation, employee/customer lawsuits and lost income as the result of a breach. With the median cost for cybersecurity insurance at $140/month, (this varies from company to company based on a wide array of factors), many businesses are opting to secure this type of insurance coverage because it allows them to continue running their businesses without incurring large capital expenditures, while providing them significant "peace of mind." Meanwhile, they can allocate budget for IT and network security improvements, which can be spaced out over time, in a sustainable manner.

While every business that plans to continue to operate online would do well to examine cybersecurity insurance, Gary Gonzalez, President of TouchPoint Networkssummarized, "If your business collects sensitive data - like credit card numbers, account numbers, Social Security numbers or medical records, you're likely a target for cybercriminals." He continued, "Many small businesses assume that cybercriminals are only interested in targeting large organizations, from whom they can extort very large ransom payments, however, in recent years, those larger organizations have responded to this focus by investing heavily into their IT and cybersecurity. This is dissuading many hackers from targeting larger organizations with robust defense systems and has effectively redirected many cybercriminals' efforts towards small businesses who possess weak IT infrastructure, yet valuable data. Essentially, small businesses are now the 'low-hanging fruit' for hackers."

While every business that plans to continue to operate online would do well to examine cybersecurity insurance, Gary Gonzalez, President of TouchPoint Networks summarized, "If your business collects sensitive data - like credit card numbers, account numbers, Social Security numbers or medical records, you're likely a target for cybercriminals." He continued, "Many small businesses assume that cybercriminals are only interested in targeting large organizations, from whom they can extort very large ransom payments, however, in recent years, those larger organizations have responded to this focus by investing heavily into their IT and cybersecurity. This is dissuading many hackers from targeting larger organizations with robust defense systems and has effectively redirected many cybercriminals' efforts towards small businesses who possess weak IT infrastructure, yet valuable data. Essentially, small businesses are now the 'low-hanging fruit' for hackers."

"A decade or so ago, most business owners could get away with a cyber-defense strategy of simply hoping their business was overlooked as a target. However, that is no longer the case," added Gonzalez. "Cyber liability insurance is an extremely cost-effective solution which SMBs can leverage in the short-term to mitigate this threat so they can get back to focusing on what matters: which is growing their business. While we are in the business of offering IT-related products and services, and we may potentially be cannibalizing additional sales by spreading this message, we think it's so important that we can't remain silent. At the end of the day, our business exists because we help our fellow entrepreneur to become more productive and thrive and our larger mission is to support business owners by keeping them in business. Business owners are the backbone of our country's economy, and we are happy to share our expertise if it keeps even one more entrepreneur in business."

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