As a construction company, you may be surprised to learn that hackers are increasingly targeting the construction industry. One study performed by security vendor Sophos found that out of 203 construction companies, 68% had suffered a cybersecurity attack in the past year. There was even one instance where hackers were able to take control of a crane remotely.
Some construction companies may not be interested in cybersecurity, as they want to focus mostly on what they do best. Many owners may downplay potential cybersecurity threats, but they should be paying attention to these threats. Even if your construction company does not want to actively focus on cybersecurity, there are a few reasons why you should care about cybersecurity. There are also some cybersecurity essentials that you need to have in order to properly protect your business.
Why Should A Construction Company Care About Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is important no matter what industry you are operating in. There are a few reasons that your construction company should care about cybersecurity. The most important reason may be data.
Data
Your organization is responsible for all of the valuable information and data that it holds onto. Hackers want this information and will do nearly anything in their power to gain access to it. Your company has to do everything in its power to prevent this from happening. The loss of competitive data, such as bidding strategies, can hamper your ability to do business.
A hacker could gain access to valuable blueprints and designs, which could compromise an entire project. A hacking breach can result in the loss of trust between your company and a fantastic customer. You could lose valuable customers if you suffer a hacking incident. Hacking incidents can also make government contracts harder to win against a competitor who has not had similar issues.
Downtime
Hackers can create serious headaches for any organization. One way that they can cause huge problems is by taking down machines, systems, and computers in an organization. Once a hacker gains access to your network, they can take systems offline and bring your entire company to a screeching halt.
This can lead to multiple hours where employees cannot properly perform their work. If this happens multiple times each year, it can lead to millions of dollars in lost productivity. No organization wants to lose countless hours to get machines back up and running from a hacking incident.
Now that we understand the importance of cybersecurity for construction companies, let’s discuss how your company can mitigate these risks.
4 CyberSecurity Essentials For Construction Companies
Every construction company should at least have these basic cybersecurity essentials, which will give your business a comfortable level of security and protection.
Firewall Protection
One of the most basic essentials that any company should employ is a firewall. A firewall is a network security system that monitors that incoming and outgoing internet traffic that can protect your construction company. The newest firewalls bring together a combination of security measures in order to keep your construction company safe.
Firewalls can help prevent hackers from stealing valuable data and keep your systems free from any viruses. Most incoming potential threats will be blocked when it is detected by the firewall. Overall, a firewall should improve your cybersecurity outlook and prevent potential data loss.
Email Security
Email has become one of the primary methods for communication for nearly all businesses. Ensuring that this line of communication is secure is key to any cybersecurity strategy. Having a dedicated email security software solution can help your company stay safe and build trust with customers.
Email security solutions can scan outgoing and incoming emails to identify any potential threats and alert users to these threats. Two factor authentication can also help ensure that you are sending potentially sensitive documents to the right party. Email security will help keep your data safe, if employees are properly trained and educated.
Education
Phishing scams are one of the most common ways that hackers utilize that enable them to breach an organization. Even the most educated, senior employees could fall for a sophisticated hacking scam. Consistent and thorough education will help employees make the right decisions when performing their daily activities and encountering phishing scams.
Organizations should ensure that employees are educated about the latest phishing scams that are likely to impact safety. Employees that are educated on phishing can identify them and forward them to the appropriate team member. Your company can alert other employees to the scam to keep the hackers out of your organization.
Backup and Recovery
Even the most robust cybersecurity strategies can fail at times, which is where backup and recovery comes into play. According to some estimates, more than 50% of all small and medium businesses do not have adequate back and recovery strategies in place. That is precisely why construction companies need to have backup and recovery systems in place for when something does go wrong.
A proper backup and recovery system will ensure that your data will still be accessible if the worst happens. Construction companies can selectively choose which critical data will be backed up in a separate medium. You can rest easy at night knowing that your data has been backed up, if anything disastrous happens.
All of these initiatives are not easy and require a certain level of knowledge. Most construction companies do not have the necessary expertise to ensure that these essentials are taken care of. Cybersecurity companies can help construction companies fill these knowledge gaps. BACS regularly works with construction companies in order to help them with cybersecurity projects.
BACS Can Help You Construct Your Cybersecurity Defense
BACS has helped plenty of construction companies develop a customized cybersecurity defense strategy that can help your company fend off any potential hackers. Our team will work closely with your key leaders to understand your business and give you everything that you need. Your business can use our expertise to keep your data safe and secure.
Reach out today to learn more about all of the offerings that BACS has. Our team is more than happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding cybersecurity. We can develop a customized cybersecurity solution for your construction company. Your team can focus on building your next project, instead of building your cybersecurity defense.
