It seems there’s a new IT solution for every strain of ransomware! Perhaps not this many, but it does seem like a lot. According to a recent CNBC article, more than $680 million was invested in cybersecurity companies in 2016, much of which was invested in technology solutions. But considering the importance of protecting businesses and organizations like hospitals from cyber-attacks, which can be crippling, the investment seems warranted. What is often overlooked, however, is technology alone cannot stop cyber-criminals. Businesses need cybersecurity pros to manage the technology. Guns don’t win wars, armies do.
The good news is cybersecurity as a profession is on the rise. According to Forbes, cybersecurity is an in-demand field, with the average salary of $116,000. Curious as to how training comes into play is the surprising number of training and educational programs dedicated to cybersecurity. In fact, a number of schools are providing specialized bachelor curricula dedicated to cybersecurity.
According to a recent ransomware awareness survey conducted by MonsterCloud, large enterprise businesses are aware of ransomware and other cybersecurity threats and have taken the necessary precautions to minimize cyber risks. In fact, it’s one of the top agenda items for corporate risk officers. However, many mid-sized and smaller businesses simply don’t have the internal cybersecurity skills or infrastructure. These businesses need cybersecurity pros as well, and perhaps even more so, as these business are a frequent target for cyber-attacks. (The criminals are well aware of the fact that defenses of smaller businesses are much more vulnerable than that of enterprise companies).
So what’s the right cybersecurity solution for small and mid-sized businesses? While technology seems to be the focal point for stopping ransomware and other malware attacks on businesses, clearly technology alone is not enough. Skilled cybersecurity pros are central to thwarting attacks, mitigating risk associated with cyber-crime, and helping businesses recover once an attack occurs. Outsourcing cybersecurity or managed cybersecurity services is one very viable solution. It makes a lot of sense as a company that specialized in cybersecurity can provide the scale at an affordable price to support many companies, making enterprise-grade cybersecurity available to companies of all sizes.