Common IT Problems Facing the Legal Industry
Legal firms are directly in the firing line when it comes to cyber crime thanks to the large amount of sensitive and confidential information they hold. Yet while such bounty is highly prized by hackers, surprisingly few law firms are prioritising IT security, making their business protection much weaker than that of other industries.
Remote access to sensitive and important information is a key requirement for solicitors, who need to be able to access data from anywhere in the world at any point in time. But with this comes significant risks.
In an industry where reputation and confidentiality are the bywords for success, data protection is crucial. Clients need to fully trust that any information they disclose will be kept secure and protected. Once a reputation is tarnished it is a long road to recovery, with 66% of people saying that they would never deal with an organisation again if a data breach occurred where financial data was stolen.
How to protect your business and your reputation
Reduce access to sensitive data
Ensuring that only those staff within a law firm who really need it have access to sensitive data will increase data security. A sure-fire way to ensure that no-one else within or outside the organisation can access this information is to encrypt the data, so that only those who know how are able to read it.
Improve computer security settings
Keeping security settings up-to-date is simple but vital for data protection. Simply installing the latest versions of software and increasing the strength of your passwords can have a huge impact on improving business security.
Educating staff on malicious software
Whether it be opening an email, clicking a link or downloading a program, malicious software often requires some form of user action for its cyber attack to take place. Staff need to be trained to spot the signs and understand how to take preventative measures against malicious software. Staff training in IT security should be standard practice.
Disaster Recovery Plan
At the end of the day all legal firms are at high risk of cyber crime, but it is how a security breach is dealt with that will make a business stand out from the rest. Of course, every client wants to know that everything possible is being done to prevent them from being a victim of a security breach, but more importantly they want to know that in the event of a breach there will be damage control measures and that they will be protected in a professional manner. The risks are real and businesses must have a plan for when disaster strikes.
Find out how you can improve your business IT security by contacting the experts at Serval Systems on 01342 895180 or via info@servalsystems.co.uk