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The best way to avoid becoming a statistic is to ensure that you have a full and adequate backup and recovery strategy that can be triggered at a moment's notice. Dental practices and other health-related organizations have added challenges, due to the additional HIPAA and HITECH requirements to protect sensitive patient data.
Cybersecurity Dangers for Small Businesses
Small businesses are being ravaged by cybercrime, with 58% of the attacks currently happening against organizations with fewer than 250 employees according to a recent Verizon study. While it may seem as though the "big payoff" comes when cybercriminals go after larger organizations, it's the small businesses that are becoming a more likely target because there's a perception that they are not quite as prepared for attacks as larger businesses. There is likely some truth to this consideration, as small businesses are more likely to pay a ransom so they can more quickly get back to business. When dental practices and other small businesses take the time to create a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery process, they are much more likely to survive this type of structured attack. While cybersecurity insurance may help organizations cover the cost of recovering from an attack, there are significant downsides to relying on insurance. Notes Minhee Cho, public relations director of ProPublica, "...by rewarding hackers, these companies have created a perverted cycle that encourages more ransomware attacks, which in turn frighten more businesses and government agencies into buying policies".
What Makes Up a Robust Backup and Disaster Recovery Strategy?
Fortunately, there is an alternative to expensive cybersecurity insurance and months-long recovery efforts after an attack. If your dental practice goes a more proactive route, you will never be caught without a backup in a true technology emergency. Your dental IT services partner can help define exactly what makes up the ideal strategy for your business, but many cloud-based backup solutions offer a range of protective services for your business.
The following tactics can help protect your business in the event of an attack:
● Cloud-based backups with regional redundancies
● Active monitoring of your backups and network activity, to ensure that any breaches are found quickly so remediation can begin right away
● Ongoing training efforts for your staff members, to help reduce the possibility of phishing attacks and other malware
Each of these strategies works together to allow your dental practice to rebound after cyberattacks that limit the availability of your business systems or data.
It only takes a moment to change the future of your business dramatically -- especially if that moment comes at the hands of a cybercriminal. It can take months for a dental practice to regain full operations after a significant breach if you don't have the proper backups in place. When you protect your business from this type of situation with proactive backup and disaster recovery strategies, you have the added peace of mind knowing that you can quickly bring your practice back up to full operations, often in a matter of days. Learn more about adopting a cloud-based backup and recovery strategy today when you contact the experts at NOVA Computer Solutions today at 703-493-1796. You can always fill out our quick-response form or chat online with our friendly customer service team anytime to schedule your free initial cybersecurity consultation. As the #1 ranked IT service provider for dental practices in the Northern Virginia, Metro Washington, DC and Maryland area, our team understands the challenges of data security and can help boost productivity and improve the patient experience for your practice.
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