As vaccination rates inch higher, your employees might be returning to work slowly and steadily. However, by now you have an idea of the new undercurrent grappling the corporate world; remote work or rather hybrid work is here to stay. By 2025, 36.2 million US citizens are expected to work remotely, which is an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels. If yours is among those organizations that have now begun to delve into the specifics of how to carry out a hybrid work culture, cyber security should be at the top of your mind. Over 80% of business leaders in a study reveal that remote work has resulted in more exposure to cyber security risks for their businesses since the pandemic. This brings up why the Importance of Regular Malware and Virus Checks are so essential Regular malware and virus checks and a comprehensive security assessment are crucial for your business. Here are some other reasons why.
Image Source: McKinsey
Anti-virus is Alone no Longer Enough
Installing an antivirus is no longer a foolproof method of ensuring no virus or malware attacks. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to evade the software. In 2020, 70% of organizations reported users being served malicious browser ads, and 50% of organizations faced ransomware-related activity. The financial services sector recorded 60% more phishing activities, followed by healthcare, among other sectors, despite strong security protocols in place. This is why you must have an expert malware removal services team evaluate your systems periodically, to ward off such threats to IT systems, or devise ways to deal with them.
Your Systems Have Been Behaving Oddly
As hackers have become increasingly skilled in hiding the impact of their codes, it can be difficult to know if your system is infected with a virus or malware. But here are some common tell-tale signs to look out for:
- You are inexplicably running out of hard drive space, and rapidly too
- You need to spend a lot of time starting your operating systems or programs
- Your desktop is showing unknown icons
- You are faced with unwanted and frequent pop-ups
- Your programs close unexpectedly and automatically
- You get unusual error messages
All these signs indicate the need for a complete assessment by an expert team.
To Have a Contingency Plan in Place
Whether your organization’s data is stored in the cloud, or on-premise, or both, regular checks ensure that vital data is backed up. In the event of an attack, your most valuable assets will remain protected, and you will be able to re-establish operations promptly through back-ups.
As more workers operate remotely, such measures are important to ensure minimal downtimes, which ultimately lead to loss of revenue and reputation. It is important to remember that consumers are now more skeptical about sharing data with businesses. Over 87% of consumers worldwide wouldn’t choose a company if they had concerns over its cybersecurity protocols. At the same time, regulators are stepping up privacy guidelines, which means as a company owner you need to take data security seriously.
Periodic assessments of malware and virus can expose vulnerabilities and risks associated with your company’s systems.Importance of Regular Malware and Virus Checks ensure that You can be better prepared with the necessary tools to defend against breaches and ensure business resilience.
