It seems like there are always new stories of businesses, or people losing their data. The biggest companies have had security issues, and small businesses can be left destitute after being victims of a scam. Internet scams are not as easy to identify as they were 10 or even 5 years ago. The constant change of tactics makes it difficult for any one person to identify all possible problems. This is when working with an MSP can help you avoid scams now, and keep you protected into the future.
How do MSPs help?
When you hire a managed service provider it is not the same as hiring an IT professional. Your IT person may be able to help you identify certain problems, but they are only one person. This person is also usually busy helping with specific tasks that are critical to your business’s development. They do not have time to think about every possible attack that can come your way.
With an MSP you are getting a team of people that are there to help. This is not only a team to assist with problem solving current issues, but also a team that collectively cares about constantly monitoring changes in IT management and data security. This means that they are much more able to think about big picture changes and technological trends.
How does this protect me from scams?
Protecting yourself from scams and attacks can be a difficult challenge. The problem is that as tactics change, so too do our methods of protecting against those scams.
For example, maybe one person receives a spam email from someone suspicious asking for personal details. It’s easy to identify that this is an attempt to get information so you mark the email as spam and delete it.
Problem solved? Well, most likely not.
Maybe that was just the first try. Now they send another email with a faked Facebook address with a link that tells you to login. Without thinking you put in your details and move on, unaware that you were targeted again.
Seeing things like this is fairly commonplace in data security.
An MSP might be aware of this Facebook link attack and identify solutions to help avoid it. This could be blacklisting email accounts that are associated with the phishing attempt, or providing an IT staff training that can help people learn about what kind of attacks they might see and how to avoid them.
Scams are Always Changing
The important thing to remember is that attackers and scammers are always changing their methods. Just like a business will change their model if they are not finding success, so will the attackers who wish to do you harm. MSPs can help identify growing trends of attacks and make suggestions to avoid these attacks before you are ever targeted yourself.
Data security is about staying ahead of the curve. It is not about solving a problem, but taking steps to make sure these scams do not become a problem in the first place. A trusted MSP like our team at Synchronet can help you avoid the scams most dangerous to your growing business.
