Organized cybersecurity crime is continuing to rise, with experts anticipating cyber-attacks will cost the world a record breaking $6 trillion this year. It seems like every day a new company or organization is making headlines due to a data breach, and about 95 percent stem from human error. Today, we’re going to outline the most common cybersecurity mistakes companies make and provide you with tips on how to combat them.

1. Thinking your company is not a target.

Listen closely: any business can be a target for hackers. While large scale breaches in major companies do occur, small to midsize businesses are not immune. Hackers will often go after smaller businesses under the assumption they have less rigorous security protocols and will be easier to infiltrate. Additionally, smaller businesses may not realize they have been attacked and can take far longer to correct the issue. These businesses are also at risk due to the nature of the data they handle. Companies that do not handle sensitive data such as credit card or other personal information sometimes adopt a false sense of security, thinking that their data is of no interest to hackers. Unfortunately, this mistake can be devastating. Hackers strike in every sector of the economy for reasons beyond financial gain, and no business should assume they are safe.

2. Not maintaining strict network hygiene.

Poor network hygiene is another major contributing factor to data breaches and hacks. Network hygiene encompasses many factors including software updates, security protocol, and standardizing policy. Companies that fall behind on crucial network updates can subject their business to additional vulnerabilities. Additionally, many companies have loose security protocols and fail to monitor their systems adequately. This can allow hackers to penetrate the system without ever being detected. Another common network hygiene mistake is not implementing standardized cybersecurity policies across the company. Many businesses have informal processes or complex multi-step policies which can easily confuse employees. While it is impossible to completely eliminate human error, creating one standard policy for a company can greatly reduce mistakes by ensuring everyone learns the same methods.

3. Not providing sufficient cybersecurity training.

Investing in adequate cybersecurity training comes at a cost, but it is a worthwhile investment to increase your company’s safety. This includes training all employees with access to data, not just your IT staff. This issue has been especially pressing over the last year with so many employees working remotely. Untrained staff put your company at a higher risk of a cyberattack, especially when they are working from home or on personal devices.

Cybercrime continues to become more advanced, and attacks are increasing. While there is no way to prevent every hack or data breach, there are steps companies can take to protect themselves. Every business should invest in a solid cybersecurity plan because you never know when your company could become a target.

At Opportunity Manager, we work diligently to protect client data and provide a software that can be trusted. As a leader in retail sales and operations software for the home services industry, we are happy to answer questions about cybersecurity as it relates to software. To learn more about Opportunity Manager’s safety efforts, check out this blog or contact us for more information.