Cyber Security in a Rapidly Evolving Digital World

Individuals, communities, and societies today exist in a world where science and technology advance at what is arguably the fastest rate amongst different fields of study. In fact, this has been observed and studied in depth, with the concept being coined as Moore’s Law. As stated by Ray Kurtzwell, futurist, this rate could indicate that society experiences a significant amount of technological progress in little time.

Advanced Systems and Technologies Develop at a Quicker Rate

So what does this mean for your business? The continuously evolving digital age ideally means that you will have access to newer and better forms of technology that connects your business’ data to the digital network. However, as reported by CNN, these developments are a double-edged sword, as the evolution of systems and technology also mean the higher sophistication of cyber attacks, increasing the importance of taking the appropriate measures to keep your data safe.

Familiarizing Your Team with Cyber Attacks

This is important for any business or organization because according to a number of experts in the field, there is no such thing as immunity from cyber attacks. This remains true whether your business is a small company or even a big organization, which means that everyone in your team must be familiar with the threats to be able to reduce the risk of having your data breached. Despite the growing sophistication of these breaches, however, it has been reported by some professionals that attacks still tend to start with the most basic of methods. The most common of these is phishing, which can be defined as the attempt to acquire important information through dubious means disguised as a legitimate form of communication.

According to Forbes and CNN, this is true because there are still a significant amount of people who are unfamiliar with these scams, and therefore are still susceptible to these attacks, and will answer emails or phone calls that give away their sensitive data. This is why it is very important that you regularly update your team with proper protocols that they can take to familiarize themselves with both the attacks and the measures they can take against them.

Basic Cyber Security Practices

 As mentioned above, the most common, yet still effective method for attacks is phishing. In a world where technology is developing even more forms of communication that attackers can utilize, it is even more important that you make sure that your team is trained with the best practices in not just preventing attacks, but also having contingency plans for worst-case scenarios. Familiarize your team with the company policies and communications so that they may be able to identify potential phishing scams, encrypt your data, and backup important files in an offline databank. It’s one thing to know of the attacks used in breaching data, but it is a step further to have good practices that improve your team’s and business’ cyber security. With the rapid evolution of technology, this effort is not a singular action to take, but a continuous effort of being vigilant regarding good practices that keep your business’ data safe and secured.