Nobody likes hackers, but if there is one thing that we can say for sure about them it’s that they like to keep busy. A recent study showed that nearly 390,000 new instances of malware are discovered every day. And while hackers might not know you or your organization by name, they do have you in their sights.
Their motivations are varied – financial gain, ego-boosting exploits, hacktivism. And the tools of their trade increase daily.
Most businesses lean on some form of hacking or virus protection, such as a firewall or out-of-the-box antivirus applications. While a good first step, these tools are usually outmatched by todays cyber criminals. In some cases, they are even unwittingly outmatched by your own employees. Research has proven that the biggest threat to a business’s cyber security are employees that utilize multiple unsecured mobile devices to interact with that organization’s network.
Within every organization facing these kinds of threats, an IT service desk, combined with a consistent application of patch and application management, can provide the main line of defense against outside threats.
Today’s advanced malware viruses look for unprotected or otherwise vulnerable machines, and even third-party applications that do not include the ability to automatically update. An IT department, whether it’s a full team of experts or a single person, may do their utmost to keep a company’s IT security updated and relevant, many times they are unable to employ a robust detection and response program against outside threats.
An IT service desk, whether they are internal or outsourced, bases their effectiveness on knowledge of an organization’s network and its vulnerabilities. The service desk will always play a major role in identifying trends and behavioral dangers.
Employees are not likely to bother an IT department with seemingly insignificant issues such as a slow computer, or an app that seems to crash a bit more often than it used to. While these things could be the sign of a developing cyber-attack, they don’t seem that way in the face of normal business operations.
This is why an IT Service Desk is invaluable in determining issues which should warrant further investigation.
A typical IT service desk can include tools that an IT department employee might not be able to supply, such as 24/7 monitoring and help desk, proactive patch application, business continuity. While it can’t completely block malicious attacks from occurring, its ability to monitor and alert an organization to potential issues positions it perfectly to act as the first line of defense.
For information on how Capital Business Systems can help you implement an IT service desk and other managed network services to suit your business and your budget, please contact us.