A recent survey by Ultima has once again highlighted the urgent need for UK business to take cyber security more seriously. The survey found that 65% of companies don’t have any security solutions deployed onto their mobile devices, and 68% of companies do not have an awareness programme aimed at employees of all levels to ensure they are cyber aware.

In addition to this, the survey found that 76% of companies still don’t have controls in place to detect and prevent zero-day/unknown malware entering their organisations, and 74% don’t have an incident management process established to respond to cyber incidents and prevent reoccurrences.

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Scott Dodds, CEO, Ultima said, “It’s shocking that in 2017 so many companies are still failing to protect their businesses appropriately from cyber-attack. We know from research by Check Point* the average enterprise downloads unknown malware every 4 seconds, and yet a third of UK companies by their own admission are woefully underprepared for such attacks. What’s more, they are not educating their employees who are often the first line of defence with regard to cyber threats.”

“Without the right cyber security in place companies risk being held to ransom or could face going out of business. Not many businesses can survive catastrophic data loss, particularly in light of the forthcoming GDPR legislation. Putting the best possible threat prevention tools in place should be a high priority for all boardroom discussions as the capabilities increase and the costs continue to reduce for decent cyber security.”

>See also: Businesses should support the new National Cyber Security Strategy

With a rapidly changing IT landscape, systems that were once integrated, dynamic and fit for purpose become tired, archaic and unsupported from cyber attack. The larger and more geographically dispersed IT gets, the harder it is to maintain visibility and the easier it is for attackers to penetrate.

Traditional perimeter IT security controls, such as firewalls, do not protect businesses against all forms of internet borne malware threats. To ensure a robust, up-to-date solution is protecting a business 24/7 it is necessary to engage a managed IT service solutions provider.