Successful cyber-attacks can ruin businesses, livelihoods, and even the lives of Small and Medium Business (SMB) owners and their customers. The enemy continues to grow stronger, launching over 4,000 attacks at SMBs daily. And, the stakes could not be higher. This is not a game……this is a war.
• The majority of cyber-attacks are directed at SMBs, due mostly to the attacker’s perception of weaker defenses at SMBs as compared to larger enterprises with greater resources and defenses in place.
• Post-attack remediation costs of an attack can extend into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for an SMB
• 70% of SMBs attacked go out of business in less than 2 years after a significant breach
So, how do we win?
Oddly enough in these tech forward times, the answers may exist in a book written over 2,500 years ago.
Sun Tzu, the Chinese general, military strategist and philosopher who lived in the 5th century B.C. is best known for authoring, “The Art of War”. This seminal work has influenced military strategy from when it was written to present day. The Japanese military adopted many of the book’s principles as it built itself into a modern military power. During the Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh had it translated and given to his officers for study, contributing to the Vietnamese Army’s success against the French and American forces. More recently, during the Gulf War American Generals Schwarzkopf and Powell employed Sun Tzu’s philosophies during that conflict. And to this day, “The Art of War” continues to be a part of the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program.
The following are a few key “Art of War” principles, rendered to address the cyber-security challenges faced by today’s business owner.
“Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.”
Sun Tzu speaks to the importance of being fully committed and prepared, well in advance of any engagement with the enemy. Did you know that approximately 80% of businesses are not fully PCI compliant? To extend the analogy, this means that 4 out of 5 businesses are already losing the battle.
“The expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.”
An effective cyber-security strategy must be proactive, agile and restless. The advantage exists in forcing the cyber-criminal to react to the defenses being put in place. Ask yourself if you are acting, or reacting.
“A clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.”
This idea is similar to the modern day reference to people who exhibit mastery within their field. Elite athletes or artists for instance who, “make it look easy”. But as we all know, that mastery is the result of untold hours of consistent and focused practice of their craft. To “win” against cyber-attacks, you must persistently invest the time and energy necessary to excel at defending your enterprise.
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
This translates to the importance of establishing and maintaining a very powerful security schema, while remaining opaque to outside forces. This of course includes software solutions, but also includes well-defined security policies and even training protocols for employees, minimizing inroads for attackers. And in the event that an attack is detected, we must move swiftly and strongly to obliterate it.
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
This is the ideal state that we strive for. One in which the enemy chooses to not attack, as a result of the perceived strength of our defenses.
We at Wind River Financial in partnership with Trustwave are excited to offer our client partners the robust offering with in the Advanced Security Package (ASP) as we all continue to fight this battle. We encourage you to contact your Relationship Manager for your Login so that you can activate these enhanced tools immediately. These types of serial upgrades are critical to defend your business. Equally important is the commitment of the SMB owner to making cyber security a top priority. Having the very best tools in your arsenal, in tandem with a committed and vigilant philosophy is the best strategy for winning this war.
To learn more about the tools you can go here. To speak with a Relationship Manager call our Client Care 800-704-7253 ext. 6828
