HIGH RIVER – March 12, 2021 – JEI Tech , a leading managed technology services provider (MTSP), proactively helps businesses address the increased threat of malware affecting small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in 2021. As more companies have increased their reliance on their IT networks to securely access information and applications, cybercrime has increased as well. Malicious actors continue to innovate their strategies and have even exploited insecure networks in order to trick users into downloading malware. JEI Tech has developed three simple strategies designed to minimize exposure and dramatically increase the safety and security of their customers’ networks.

“One of the biggest concerns that business owners need to be aware of is that hackers are becoming much more sophisticated,” stated John Coleman, Director of JEI Tech . “A few years ago, most phishing attempts were relatively simple to spot. But they have become much tougher to catch, especially among untrained staff.” Coleman later added, “Cybercriminals are using ‘victim vetting’ mechanisms to ensure that their efforts are pinpointed, and that they are targeting wealthy individuals or business owners, to ensure their time is well-spent and their attacks are precise.”

There are immediate actions that any business can implement to add basic, intermediate and advanced levels of network protection to secure their company from these threats. The first and most easily implemented solution is to ensure that staff is using multi-factor authentication (MFA), via practices such as “two-step authentication” on tools that they access on a daily basis. This is one of those “no-brainers” approaches that immediately add an extra layer of protection across the network and is quite effective at deterring cybercrime.

The second action that any SMB can take to increase their network security is to conduct phishing awareness training. Cybercrime relies heavily on human error and when employees are educated as to the types of attacks that are popular techniques, they can recognize them and respond appropriately. Business owners often overestimate the level of awareness that staff have about responsible browsing and downloading practices.

Many people don’t realize that oftentimes the ideal target for cybercriminals are smaller, less protected businesses. Through ransomware attacks, hackers can gain leverage that is relatively easy for them to achieve, as opposed to how cumbersome it is for them to attack larger organizations, who’ve invested much more into their cybersecurity defense strategy. So, thirdly, for organizations that have more to lose, in terms of customer data, medical data, credit cards and other highly-sensitive information, they need to take a look at a security operations center (SOC). A SOC is a team of cybersecurity experts monitoring company networks 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If an attack occurs SOC technicians jump into action and thwart the attack. SOCs have grown in popularity because they are the most comprehensive solution.

While each business faces a unique level of threat, it’s critical that SMBs learn more about the risks their network currently faces and build the right defense shield with the right tools.