Written by Vanbo
Meet two small business owners who are much like you! Both are hardworking and want what is best for their business. They both decide to take a weekend away from their respective businesses to recharge and relax. When each business owner returns, they both encounter a cybersecurity issue that popped up while they were away. Read both stories to find out what happens.
Meet Business Owner Mike
Photo by Max Titov on Unsplash
Mike is away for the weekend, taking a much-deserved break from the business. He is focusing on ignoring the business and recharging. Mike starts work Monday morning reading through email.
Ignoring the junk mail, he finds the emails from customers. As you read through it, the first one says, Hey Mike, you charged my credit card $749. What was that charge for? He stops and thinks, “That’s strange, I don’t remember charging them. I’ll have to check with Sally to see if she knows”. He reads the next email with a very similar question. Most of his clients are asking the same question.
Mike sees the email he has been looking forward to seeing in his inbox. This email is from his buddy that he does business with, but they “don’t like credit cards,” they always send their payment directly to his bank. It reads, “Hey Mike, awesome news! It must mean you hit the big time.” Confused, Mike continues to read the email. “How come you didn’t let me know this was coming? I see you switched to an International bank, does that mean you were bought out you lucky dog?”
Totally confused, it slowly dawns on Mike what happened. He begins to panic but has no idea what to do next. What should Mike do?
Meet Business Owner Michelle
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Michelle is away for the weekend, taking a much-deserved break from the business. She is focusing on ignoring the business and recharging. Michelle starts work Monday morning reading through email.
Ignoring the junk mail, she finds the emails from customers. One has a problem from the weekend that was not urgent, and she is confident she can fix it with a phone call. Most of the clients have simple questions with quick solutions, and oh, by the way, based on the question, she should be able to sell that last client the enhanced service that addresses their needs.
Michelle sees the email she has been looking forward to. Her friend says, “Hey Michelle, awesome news! I was able to book dinner at that restaurant you have wanted to try for Wednesday at 7PM. See you then.” Michelle smiles and thinks, “That Betsy, she always has good news.”
Michelle sits back, looks at her calendar, and notices a meeting with a client that is interested but isn’t sure. She thinks, “I should call VanBo and have them send me the latest security report before I meet with them so the client can cross that concern off their list.”
How to Defend Your Businesses Against Cyber Attacks
In the first tale, Mike was confident that he was too small to be a target, besides he is way too smart to have problems like the other 58% of cyber attack victims that were small businesses.[1] Not a problem, he can spot a scam a mile away, nobody better try it with him because he’s smarter than the estimated 1.2 million hackers[2] trying to get paid. Besides, his business is too small to be a target.
In the second tale, Michelle was pretty sure she would never have a problem, but knowing that 58% of cyber attack victims were small businesses,[1] she doesn’t want to risk the blood sweat and sacrifice that went into what she built. So she called VanBo and explained the situation. Michelle owns a fast-growing small business, didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and wanted to make sure she was spending it wisely. She explained she doesn’t know what she needs but is pretty certain she needs something.
VanBo met with Michelle and discussed her business as well as how she runs her business. Based on protecting what drives her company, VanBo put together a security package for Michelle that focused on her greatest exposures yet fit in her monthly budget.
As a small business owner, are you a Mike or a Michelle? If you are a Michelle, call VanBo today to discuss if there is a way we can help you. If you are a Mike, bookmark VanBo’s website for when you need to call.
[1] Forbes – Cybercriminals Have Your Business In Their Crosshairs And Your Employees Are In Cahoots With Them.
[2] https://www.quora.com/How-many-computer-hackers-are-there-in-the-world – Estimated by Juan Carlos Mereno
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