Meet business owner Jim (is his mindset like yours)?
Probably enough
Meet Jim, a busy doctor who owns a successful medical practice in Sacramento. Jim is great at helping patients, but he doesn’t know much about computer security. One day, Jim met Mark, a virtual CISO (that’s like a part-time computer security expert). Jim thought, “I should probably do something to keep my patients’ ePHI (information) safe.” So he hired Mark to set up online backups and write a plan for what to do if something bad happened to the computers. Jim figured that was probably enough to keep his practice safe.
Ransomware strikes Jim’s office
One day, trouble struck! Some hackers broke into Jim’s computer network. They locked up all the patient files and left a note saying Jim had to pay them a ransom to get the files back. Jim couldn’t see any patient information or make appointments. His whole office was in chaos! Jim was out of business! Jim called Mark in a panic. “Help! I can’t do anything. My patients are getting upset!” Mark came to the rescue. He helped Jim get the files back and fix the damage. But Mark also had to tell Jim some hard truths.
Could have been prevented
“Jim,” Mark said, “you are an attractive target. If you had let me do more to protect your network, this might not have happened. I could have set up special firewalls to keep the bad guys out, trained your staff to spot tricks and put alarms on your network to catch bad guys before they do damage.” Jim realized he needed more help from Mark. He learned that a virtual CISO like Mark could:
- Check for dangers regularly without being in the office all the time
- Give expert advice whenever it’s needed
- Cost less than hiring a full-time security person
- Stay up to date on the newest ways to stop bad guys
- Help get employees on board with your security improvements
Mark explained, “If you hired a full-time CISO, it would cost a lot more money. They’d be here 40 hours a week, even when you don’t need them. With me as your virtual CISO, you get the same expert help but only pay for what you need.”
Jim sleeps better at night
Jim nodded, understanding now. “I see. You can keep us safe without breaking the bank.” “Exactly,” Mark smiled. “I’ll set up strong defenses, train your team, and be ready to help anytime. You focus on your patients, and I’ll focus on keeping your practice safe from cyber criminals.” From that day on, Jim’s medical practice stayed safe from online threats. He could sleep better at night knowing Mark was watching out for any danger. And the best part? Jim’s patients felt safe knowing their information was well-protected.
The lesson
Sometimes, a part-time expert can be just what the doctor ordered to keep a business healthy and safe from hackers and their online threats. You can learn the easy way, or learn the hard way (like Jim did)! Your decision.