Today it is an essential consideration for every company to prioritise cyber security and with the landscape of cyber threats constantly changing and evolving, it is important that your business should keep up with the dangers and attempt to stay one step ahead. Also put in place insurance to protect your business from cyber attacks.

Unfortunately for too many companies, it is easy to get left behind. Doing so can leave you vulnerable to hackers and at risk of suffering serious financial and reputation damage. Here are five of the key signs that you might need an upgrade.

1. Your defences aren’t proactive

Cybercriminals and hackers have become so sophisticated that relying solely on traditional security defences like firewalls and anti-virus software is a thing of the past. In this era is no longer adequate to assume that your perimeter cyber security will block all known threats, and/or react to incoming attacks after they occur – cyber-attacks are too damaging to your business for that.

Rather than trying to deal with cyber-attacks while or after they have taken place, it is smarter to focus on prevention and early detection. Many cyber security firms offer proactive CISO training, network monitoring, penetration testing and more to help detect threats and respond before they are able to inflict damage and disruption.

2. Your business is growing

The cyber security requirements of any business evolve constantly due to company growth. As your business expands you may be interested in investing in technologies that offer productivity and cost-saving advantages such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IOT). Doing so without simultaneously assessing and strengthening your defences can put the whole of your company at risk from cyber criminals.

If your company is going through a period of significant expansion you should put some thought into how this will affect your current IT infrastructure. As you experience growth your cyber defences will need to grow too.

3. You have suffered recent cyber attacks

One of the major signs that you need to improve your digital defences is if you are beginning to see regular attacks taking place against your system. Cyber-attacks are sadly becoming a part of the life of virtually every business in the UK, but getting hacked can also show that your weak defences make you an easy target.

You should never assume that if you have suffered one attack, you have been unlucky and are unlikely to suffer another. Hackers will always try to compromise weak targets, and if your business has been targeted in the past you are advertising the fact that your systems are not especially robust.

4. You haven’t upgraded your security in a while

Technology shifts quickly and with hackers becoming more skilled and advanced, you need to move with the times. If it has been a matter of years with no significant changes to your security system then you could be in a very vulnerable position. Once again, it is a good idea to work with cyber security degree trained and experienced professionals to help guide any improvements.

5. Struggling to keep up with regulatory standards

Were you caught off-guard by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? With new rules governing companies that handle any kind of personal data, many businesses have been forced to review and update their systems and processes to achieve compliance.

It is important to note that a key aspect of the GDPR is the need to protect the personal data that your organisation processes. This means that you must demonstrate that suitable measures are in place to defend your business against cyber attacks. It can be a good idea to work with external GDPR specialists who will be able to provide advice and guidance on the steps you need to take