Last updated: February 20, 2023
IT is an essential tool in our current society, with its computing capacity and scalability, it is able to carry out any type of work quickly and efficiently. However, various risks linked to IT and new technologies expose businesses and individuals.
According to a PwC study, 62% of French respondents say they experienced at least one IT security incident in 2012, and 27% of managers surveyed in France say they experienced more than 10 security incidents in the previous year.
What exactly are the risks of IT?
There are different types of IT-related risks, here are the main ones:
- computer crashes : A disk crash can occur at any time! Indeed, we cannot guarantee the life of the equipment. When a disk crash occurs, in 90% of cases, all of the company's data is lost.
- Traditional backup media : Traditional backup media, such as external hard drives, CD-ROMs or USB sticks, are fragile and may not guarantee data recovery in the event of loss.
- Handling errors : The error is human. A command line enough to irretrievably erase the contents of an entire hard drive! In fact, handling errors represent 19% of data loss.
- computer hacking : In the field of cybercriminality everything is possible, from simple hacking where the hacker will delete the company's database, by game to prove to himself that he can hack, to industrial espionage to know what his competitor is doing.
What are the other IT-related risks?
Here are some other IT risks:
- Computer viruses : Viruses can be transmitted through downloaded files, emails or infected websites, and can cause significant damage to computer systems, such as deleting data or blocking access to files.
- Denial of service (DoS) attacks : These attacks aim to make a website or online service unavailable by overloading servers with requests.
- Data leaks : may be caused by security errors, malicious employees or hacker attacks, and may lead to the disclosure of sensitive or confidential data.
- Ransomware : This malware blocks access to files or computer systems until a ransom is paid.
- Setup errors : Misconfigurations can expose sensitive data or make a computer system vulnerable to attack.
What are the solutions ?
There is no such thing as 100% protection. However, it is important for businesses to consider these risks and put security measures in place to prevent them.
Those responsible for the establishment must ensure that activities are effectively protected against the risks mentioned above.
The first step is to put in place adequate preventive measures to minimize the likelihood of these problems occurring.
These measures include:
- Put in place regular backups and on secure storage media : Backups help protect company data in the event of a computer crash or data loss.
- Train employees in computer security : Raising employee awareness of good computer security practices can help reduce the risks associated with operator errors and insecure behavior.
- Use security software : Security software such as antivirus and firewalls can protect computer systems against viruses and denial of service attacks.
- Configure systems securely : Misconfigured systems can leave the business vulnerable to attacks. It is important to ensure that you configure security settings correctly to protect company data.
- Use strong and unique passwords : Some Strong passwords and unique are essential to protect company accounts against hacks.
Finally, a comprehensive IT policy should also include insurance against losses related to employee fraud, data replacement costs, and destruction of software or hardware.
By implementing these security measures, businesses can minimize IT risks and protect their data and business.