In the UK, 74% of small businesses and 90% of large businesses have had a cyber breach of their security within the last year. Talk Talk becomes the latest victim of a cyber attack.
There’s been no greater social or technological revolution over the last two decades than the emergence and growth of the internet. Despite its wealth of benefits (access of information 24/7, e-commerce, enabling connection and communication with others) the increase in online usage, through both the internet and social networking platforms, has led to wider threats from cyber attackers. In fact, a 2015 government survey revealed that 74% of small businesses, and 90% of large businesses, had a cyber breach of security in the last year. Such statistic adds further weight to the argument that UK businesses should now be aiming for cyber resilience more than ever before. Just last week Talk Talk became the latest victim of a cyber attack, suffering a serious breach of their computer systems, which is thought to have affected around four million of their customers. Whilst any financial implications are unknown at this time, there will be an impact on their reputation. It goes to show it’s now imperative for organisations to not only maintain a cyber security stance but also demonstrate this to their customers/clients.
The importance of cyber security cannot be understated. Possessing an insecure machine or password can have a devastating impact on your business, data and stakeholders. Once a device is infected it’s contagious and has the power and resources to infect others. Similar to when humans contract flu, because it can easily be transmitted from one to another. As a consequence, a cyber intrusion into any of your accounts or devices can escalate into a full-scale attack on the financial and reputational well-being of your business.
Furthermore, we all have a duty of care to dispose of our old machines safely and ensure the data we put on them is securely destroyed. There is too much of a cavalier attitude towards cyber security. This needs to change and UK businesses need to be encouraged to embrace a new culture whereby they take serious ownership and responsibility of financial and personal data. At Printwaste we take information security seriously and believe that it’s vital to be vigilant with our own business IT system and therefore became Cyber Essentials certified.
The Cyber Essentials scheme is a government and industry run initiative that’s been co-created to fulfil the following two functions: to provide a clear statement of 5 basic controls that organisations can implement to mitigate risk from common internet based threats; and to offer a mechanism (Assurance Framework) for businesses to demonstrate that they have taken these essential precautions to stakeholders. This certification is awarded on the basis of an independent assessment and is verified by a certification body. For more information on the Cyber Essentials scheme visit the Government website.
The role of Printwaste is to collect and confidentially destroy/shred your unwanted documents and data media when you no longer want these assets i.e. paper documents, tapes, hard-drives, laptops mobile phones etc. Our staff are trained and accredited to give greater assurance that our customer’s data is securely destroyed. For more about our service, contact us on 01242-588600 or sales@printwaste.co.uk.
