In January of this year, ChoiceTel provided an analysis of 2016’s cyber environment and delivered a strong recommendation that businesses and organizations make securing their data a priority for 2017. Over this past year, cyber-attacks continued and, in fact, doubled from 2016. This trend was actually predicted by experts such as Tara Seals of Infosecurity Magazine who stated that, “At the end of 2016, various reports predicted cyber-attacks could double in 2017.” Antoher grim statistic comes from a Ponemon Institute Survey which states that “55% of small and mid-sized businesses reported experiencing a cyber-attack within the past 12 months.” These facts and statistics reveal the state of today’s volatile environment which presents real issues for organizations who are looking to avoid the serious and costly damages that can occur in the event they are hacked.

While standard security practices (see 13 Steps Everyone Should Take To Protect Their Business) are still essential for everyone, organizations cannot rely on them to prevent attacks; nor can most organizations afford the cost of in-house security personnel who are trained and ready to manage today’s complex environment or maintain sufficient cybersecurity capabilities. When businesses suffer from a significant attack, such as a ransomware attack, they may find themselves having to choose between replacing their expensive equipment (servers, computers, etc.) or losing their valuable and sensitive data. Not to mention the loss of future business when customers are leary of purchasing a company’s products or services after a serious breach. We said this in 2016, but it bears repeating: “If ever there was a time to bunker down on your information security efforts, it’s now”.