Are You Ready?

Over the past 3 days I was in Paris at DattoCon19! The event was amazing and credit should be given to every member of the rapidly growing Datto team that contributed towards this event. The vast range of workshops and seminars available to develop your skills and soak in incredible information was surprising due to the quality of content and speakers readily available within 10/15 steps of each other in such a stunning venue.

So... the theme of this article will be 'surprise'

The other element of surprise I experienced was the fact that, so many directors and decision makers from multiple MSP's across 25 countries were so comfortable in communicating with each other. Sharing their stories of success, tips and tricks, stories of failure and also best practices that have helped them grow and become the company they are today. Essentially, being the competition, it was enlightening to come across such an open and honest crowd of people. Within these stories, a resounding complaint fell from everyone's mouths, most of these people, who are paid to look after the best interest of their clients, who work hard to ensure they are offering the best service, whilst also proposing advancements in technology to best benefit 'Mr. Customer' seem to have had their expertise fall on deaf ears! This for me, was the biggest SURPRISE! Why do I find this element the most shocking I hear you ask? I will tell you why..... and the answer is very, very simple, unlike the work it takes to keep you and your business safe and secure!

SCROLL DOWN!!

One of the most challenging tasks faced by your 'IT People' is keeping the person pictured above from causing a cataclysmic disaster to your business. Now I have not worked in IT for very long, but I have always had a good 'student mentality' and shown an interest in the industry. I have managed to grasp the services Couno offer and equipment that it will take to successfully deliver a solution but I am always learning. I'm a great believer in, you don't stop learning until you die, and obviously all the TECH stuff, I leave this to the TECH Team. The things I struggle to understand are, number 1, the creativeness and hyper intelligence used by Cyber Criminals to constantly evolve the methods and programmes used to target companies, successfully breach their defences and deliver their method of harbouring investment. That investment being..... your hard earned cash! Your bottom line!

Secondly, I massively struggle with the fact that most people are happy to ignore their MSP's advice. To learn it's not just me that has experienced similar problems but most of the 800 MSP's in attendance left me bamboozled. I am sorry if this offends anyone, this is my opinion, but to ignore the person that looks after your IT services, that should have your best interest at heart (I know that there are rogue companies out there, but for the sake of this article, let us agree that you have a more than reputable company in place), that have spent years & tens of thousands educating themselves on the ever changing face of technology, that constantly search for the newest or most relevant products, attend multiple seminars and conferences to develop knowledge and tirelessly work to form relationships with vendors innovating within the industry, is not just ignorant.... it is downright and utterly STUPID!

Now let's give you some statistics: 95% of breaches are down to Human Error (we all make mistakes). 60%+ of attacks are aimed at small to medium sized businesses. There is a hacker attack every 39 seconds. Since 2013 3,809,448 records have been stolen from security breaches every day. The average cost of a data breach in 2020 will exceed ￡110 million. Cyber Crime is worth more than Drugs, Racketeering and Prostitution combined, this to me is a terrifying statistic.

60% of SME's close for good within 6 months of data theft. On the 'Dark Web' it costs just $50 for 500k unique emails accompanied with a full password... but most important of all... 97% of breaches could have been prevented with today's technology!

How anyone can be so flippant with regards to their online safety which is directly connected to the success of their company I find truly outstanding. Your MSP isn't making suggestions for shit's and giggles or to see what they can get away with, they have an invested interest in providing the right solution to ensure your environment is secure along with procedures should the day of reckoning bestow your business. They have a reputation to uphold and like you, they want to be the best in their field, which doesn't come by offering terrible advice or providing sub standard service, they want your recommendation.

Don't think you can get away with this either if 'Cheap is Best' happens to be a preferred selection of words in your vocabulary. Of course I have hunted around the bargain basements and have always had a keen eye for a sweet deal, I have needed a new pair of pumps and decided to grace the isle's of Primarni for a ￡10 pair of 6 month specials. However, I have never decided to go budget for a lock and alarm for my house, or invested little time to seek the correct school for my children, so why do we see so many people scrimp on the vital tools needed to generate a healthy business? Why are businesses adopting this reactive philosophy for something that is better dealt with pro-actively? Why look for a bargain on something that is critical to your business and of such pivotal importance? It's not the best priced product that is right or cheapest solution that is right... Right is Right and that's the end of it! Prevention is better than the cure and in most cases, a whole lot cheaper, an estimate of 10 times cheaper if people want a guide of scale.

Do not wait until the last minute either! If you were not aware, Windows 7, Server 2008 and exchange 2010 will be 'End of Life' by January 2020, yet so many companies are waiting until the last minute to take any form of action.... WHY?!! If this is you, what do you think will happen when the 1000's of companies adopting the same 'Devil-May-Care' attitude agree to the solutions they need to be implemented with immediate effect, all at once? Your MSP is not gently trying to persuade you for a decision just so they can hit the Q3 target! They simply know the magnitude of work the company needs to accomplish before the January D-Day. They understand that Cyber Criminals have a new target when this comes into action & desperately wants to achieve success for their client before the manic 3 months of computerised hell in the not too distant future!

I could ramble on but I think have made my point, it is also time for me to continue with my own daily struggles in convincing people that IT matters! Granted, IT may not be the most glamorous of businesses, I have never made a woman want to instantly throw herself at me by discussing Business Continuity or the importance of Network Layer Security, my eHarmony profile does not include a picture of a 48 port PoE switch or an AP-315, but maybe i could convince them of the importance..... or am i talking to the wrong women!

If you would like a serious discussion surrounding your current landscape and potential threats then get in touch with me, or at-least change your mindset surrounding your IT needs and speak to your MSP. In the mean time, below are some pretty pictures of DattoCo19!