Don’t?be a sitting duck. Don’t?let 2020 be the year?your business becomes compromised by cybercrime.

By Craig McDonald

My mission in 2020 is to ensure that, on my watch, no business becomes compromised and its reputation impacted by cybercrime. It’s a bold ambition, because cybercriminals are more ruthless and sophisticated than ever before. 

 One of the biggest challenges is breaking through the inertia of businesses settling for the status quo. I am pleading with you, please don’t accept the tired reassurances that your business is doing what everyone else is. Nine out of 10 businesses are impacted by cybercrime, so accepting the status quo means you’re a sitting duck. 

None of us want that personal experience when your IT team tells you that “we’ve been hit by a cyber-attack." Your company data, your customers and your professional reputation are all at risk. It could mean lights out for your business. If you think it won’t ever happen to you, think again. Sadly, I hear the stories every day: “One of my team downloaded a file and now we can’t access our data, we can’t function” or “My team paid what they thought was a legitimate invoice and now we can’t recover the funds.” 

 These stories are real and all too common. The aftermath can be devastating as businesses attempt to recover from the cash flow disruption and to understand the extent of a breach, seeking to repair damaged reputations and to instil confidence in their supply chain and other stakeholders that business has returned to normal. We’ve all read the stats and the daily news alerts, and behind them are very real personal and professional tragedies. 

 US$1 TRILLION is lost every year due to cybercrime, as Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella recently reminded us. Don’t let this figure go up to US$2 trillion by the end of this year. 

 We’ve collaborated with Microsoft to give your business a fighting chance with the enhanced protection that it needs with a defence-in-depth approach. With no strings attached, you can start a 30-day free evaluation of your email security to see what’s getting through. The threat is real, and the stakes are high. Don’t let this year be the year that it happens to you. 

Please get in touch, so I can ensure that your business has the protection that it needs to keep safe in 2020. 

Get the facts 

Companies are spending more on cybersecurity now than ever before, but those funds aren't always targeting the most significant dangers. There seems to be a bit of a disconnect amongst many CEOs about the sources of cyber-threat. 

Studies consistently show that more than 90% of cyber-attacks are perpetrated via email, yet email security is rarely the biggest item in cybersecurity budgets. If we’re going to win the battle against cybercrime we have to get real about the nature of the threat. 

I’m on a mission to help business people understand cybercrime and protect their businesses from costly attacks. If you would like to learn more about the complex cybersecurity challenges facing business today, please download my e-book Surviving the Rise of Cybercrime. It’s a plain English, non-technical guide, explaining the most common threats and providing essential advice on managing risk. 

 You can download my e-book for free, here. 

“Cybercrime is a serious and growing business risk. Building an effective cybersecurity culture within an organisation requires directors and executives to lead by example. Surviving the Rise of Cybercrime is a must-read for directors and executives across business and in government and provides strong foundations for leaders determined to address cyber risk.” - Rob Sloan, Cybersecurity Research Director, Wall Street Journal.  

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Hi, I’m Craig McDonald; MailGuard CEO and cybersecurity author. 

Follow me on social media to keep up with the latest developments in cybersecurity; I'm active on LinkedIn and Twitter.  

I’d really value your input and comments so please join the conversation.