In 2004, with increased internet activity, the President of the United States and Congress declared October Cybersecurity Awareness Month, to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats. According to Accenture, cybercrimes have jumped 31% and IBM reports the average data breach costs businesses $4.35 million in lost business and fines, demonstrating the need for continued awareness and action.
Given these increasing threats, ZAG does have some good news – individuals and companies can adopt best practices to mitigate those risks and costs. For their part in awareness, ZAG has shared a comprehensive infographic, Understand Your Risk, Outsmart Cybercriminals that provides important and useful information on cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
“Cybersecurity is not just a buzzword, it’s a real risk to business performance and economic security is everyone’s responsibility, at home, at work, and on the go,” said Greg Gatzke, President, ZAG Technical Services. “Understanding risk is the first step towards managing risk and we believe education is a critical piece of the puzzle as you work toward protecting your business.”
At any point in the supply chain – from farm to table – agribusinesses are at risk of becoming a target and impacting customers, buyers, and other vendors. Organizations can take ownership of their role while protecting their brand and reputation by putting strong cybersecurity measures in place to help prevent an incident that would disrupt day-to-day business.
To spread the knowledge and keep others safe, ZAG has provided four initial actionable steps you can take to improve the security of your information:
- Enable multi-factor authentication
- Use strong passwords and update them regularly
- Recognize and report phishing attempts
- Regularly update software, applications, and workstations
“The agriculture industry faces a host of threats that many other businesses do not because of advancing technologies in growing, harvesting, processing, and shipping, but we often find that agribusiness is far behind others when comparing cybersecurity and disaster recovery strategies. We’re passionate about our work in information systems and keeping America’s ag companies up and running.”
As ZAG wraps up its campaign for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the team will attend the IFPA Global Produce and Floral Show in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 27-29. Stop by their Cybersecurity Lounge at booth #379 for a tech check and free cybersecurity risk assessment or visit them at the Science, Technology, and Food Safety Reception on Friday, Oct. 28. from 5:15 – 6:45. Click here to schedule a meeting with the team.
To access the infographic, click here.
About ZAG
ZAG Technical Services, Inc. (ZAG), is an award-winning IT consulting firm and managed services provider (MSP) specializing in network infrastructure, security, disaster recovery, virtualization, cloud computing services, and remote access. ZAG enables clients to succeed with digital transformation solutions by delivering even greater value in IT assessments, consulting, managed services, and support. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and with offices in Salinas, Calif., Meridian, Idaho, ZAG is the premier provider of information technology for Western agribusinesses.
ZAG Media Contact
Jenna Hardie
ZAG Technical Services
O: +1 505-948-3972
