The Truth — And Lies — About Cyberattacks And Your Business In 2022

In today's evolving game of technology and cyber, there is one player more impressive, relentless and innovative than all the rest. You might know him as an extended car warranty salesman that calls at all hours of the day. Others might think of her as a foreign country princess ready to bring her riches to the states--if only you could front her some quick travel money through an email full of your bank routing info. IT professionals that work in-house, or those that provide contract services, both know all those pretend players as one thing: the cyber criminal.

• Why Cyber Attacks Will Find You
• Is There A Way To Prepare?
• The Truth And Lies

Research from several cybersecurity firms ranging from publicly traded Fortinet, to household tech giants like IBM, shows that cyber thieves are relentless in their efforts to gain personal and business data in 2022. Worse than that, they do not discriminate. It no longer matters the type, or amount, of data a business hosts. It certainly doesn't matter how many people work for a company, nor where they work from. Fortinet's 2022 Cybersecurity Statistics report, (they secure more than 500,000 customers), said that in today's tech world, cyberattacks are, not a matter of if, but when. In IBM's recent, Cost of Data Breach Report, the company revealed the cost of the average breach. Most breaches take 280 days to find, and cost the breached company roughly $3.8 million to fix.

According to Fortinet, IT professionals working to protect their in-house or contract clients are in a unique situation this year--and it's not a good one. With more sophisticated attack systems operating then at any time before, combined with a handful of near-term workplace scenarios linked to the growth of connected devices and a rapid rise in data volumes, these facts might come as no surprise. Online scams, according to law firm, Reed Smith, are up 400 percent since March 2020. According to Google, it now blocks more than 18 million malware and phishing emails every day.

The scary truth about your personal or company data is that there is no standard approach guaranteed to protect your digital-based assets. This is the age we live in, says Dusty Sperlich, IT Director at a IT Outlet. It is silly to think just because a business has one or two users that it isn't going to get some sort of attack. There is really no standard anymore, so we need to be constantly changing our practices, adding that doing so could save a company or user thousands of dollars, their identity and time wasted recovering.

Sperlich and his team at IT Outlet are considered leaders in the cyberattack defense space across the region. They have developed a flexible and proven system designed to fit the needs of each customer. Some firms need to backup data more than once a day. Others need to save data in multiple forms to ensure there is always a clean version ready for use. The team deploys an expansive approach that helps clients stop attacks before they happen and ensures that when they do (because they always do) the right protocols and backup systems are in place so that minimal-to-no file damage occurs.

We have a dedicated team that is checking customer backups everyday for errors or breaches, Sperlich explains. That approach helps to set the team apart from online cloud back-up systems some companies believe are easy to use. Many online subscription-based services are mainly just storing your backups. With us, we not only store those backups in a safe and secure location, but we are also with our customers every step of the way if they ever have an issue with their files.

In addition to their commitment to maintain and monitor backed-up data, the IT Outlet team also offers a unique strategy that allows customers to sleep at night knowing their backups are safe. Ultra-resilient media provides two forms of media to store three different copies of client data. Sperlich calls it a major differentiator--and difference maker--from cheap backup subscription services. Not only does IT Outlet provide the Ultra-resilient media service, it also keeps one of the forms of media (backed-up data) offsite, air gapped and immutable. Which in non-IT professional terms means they provide the highest level of insurance available for your data.

In the personal and business data world right now, everything from CEO bank account info to first-time client particulars is ripe for an attack. Have strategic plans for growth or new product designs backed up on the cloud? Expect those to be attacked soon. The data, numbers and statistics on cyber attacks in 2022 and beyond all show that those warranty calls, foreign princess funding requests or Russian hacks aren't going to stop, unfortunately. (Ask Sperlich about Russian hacks sometime. The IT Outlet team has stopped several).

The scary truth about cyber security, resilience, data recovery and backup options for your personal or business assets is that all of them are under attack even as you read this. But, as the team from IT Outlet proves everyday, it would be a lie to think there is nothing you or your business can do about it.

To learn more about protecting your business, IT Outlet is ready 24/7. Take our free cyber threat assessment today. As Sperlich and his team always like to say, We are The Nerds You Love To Know.