Cybersecurity is the set of practices used to protect computers, servers, mobile devices, networks and programs from cyber attacks. These attacks usually have as their purpose the access, withdrawal, transformation or deletion of sensitive information in order to extort money or interrupt the companies or institutions’ operations.
Today it is essential to adopt practices and technologies that guarantee high-level IT security, not only to protect sensitive data stored local or online, but also to allow the smooth operation of services and companies essential in our society (banks, schools, hospitals, power plants, etc.).
Cybersecurity must also be distributed and applied on different protection levels involving networks, applications, computers or information to keep safe. In the construction of a protected business system – on-premises or cloud – it is in fact important that all the measures put in place are unified and able to respond to any threats in an integrated and coordinated manner.
One of the most important aspects of cybersecurity good practices is user training: comply to basic data security guidelines – making backups frequently, using strong passwords, not inserting unidentified USB drives and not opening suspicious email attachments – can certainly help in preventing malicious attacks.
As for Italy, during 2020 remote working and the use of personal devices and home networks to work have spread widely. According to the latest data from the Cybersecurity & Data Protection Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, 40% of large organizations and 49% of SMEs have confirmed an increase in cyber attacks. Nonetheless, the percentage of companies (19%) that reduced their cybersecurity budget has increased, ten times higher than in 2019.
Making the internet a safer place for everyone improves business performance, avoids dangerous data leaks or service interruptions and gives more awareness of how our data are used online. Having an integrated approach, which considers IT security a matter of training, professional skills, technologies, investments and responsibility is today essential to protect the information assets of a company.
Sources: Il Sole 24 Ore | Osservatori.net
