A new tool has been launched recently to help the small businesses of New Zealand to understand their cybersecurity risks.
According to a recent report, Pulse Check was released by Spark Lab in order for the businesses to evaluate their cybersecurity readiness.
Even better is that it is available to anybody who wishes to use it, free of charge.
According to the organisation’s Security Lead, the tool can provide an easy way to help the small businesses get an idea and pinpoint where their security vulnerabilities are.
The organisation references the 2018 study conducted by PwC in which it was found that 41% of investors are now extremely concerned about cyber threats.
With that in mind, SMEs need to ensure that their business interests and data are secure.
It is a struggle for small-to-medium business owners to stay ahead of the cybersecurity curve.
With the attention of SME business owners being turned often towards more attractive tech categories such as lead-generation, IoT and mobile working, their cybersecurity readiness have remained on the back-burner.
That definitely needs to change.
The organisation highlighted that one in four New Zealand businesses were targeted in a cybercrime last year, according to the 2017 Norton Cyber Security Survey.
That number is growing and SMEs need to know how exposed they are in comparison to other companies. The tool just takes five minutes to complete and produce that information.
The tool provides a series of questions that guide business owners on how and why they need to increase their cybersecurity levels. It also suggests new processes and procedures.
As people move through the tool, it provides useful advice about how businesses could improve their digital security practices.
The way small businesses handle the challenges of information and data security is an evolving micro-economic issue.
It is an important aspect that does not get enough attention under the broad topic of disruption.
It can be seen how increasingly crucial robust security systems are to consumers when it comes to brand trust and purchasing decisions; knowing these businesses should be prioritising security practices, doing their research or engaging experts to get a complete view of their vulnerabilities.
In this day, cybersecurity should be synonymous with commercial health and safety practices and codes.
Implementing best practice security processes will become a crucial step for any growing business.
SMEs should treat security the same way they would prioritise hygiene. Turning on something as simple and cost-effective as two-factor authentication could be the difference between a scammer getting access to sensitive information, or more so, not getting access to sensitive information.
