How Can You Protect Your Law Firm In Baltimore From Cybercrime?
Lawyers often contact us, and the first thing they say is, “How are you going to protect our legal practice? What tools will you use? How successful is your security solution for law firms in Baltimore?”
The reason so many lawyers are searching for a better level of cybersecurity is pretty simple —These attorneys have read the news online. They’ve seen the stories emblazoned across the TV screen.
According to a CNA Professional Counsel bulletin, roughly 80 percent of the largest firms in the United States have experienced a malicious breach. In 2016 alone, the IT consultancy Logicforce found that over 10,000 network intrusion attempts were detected per day across just 200 law firms. The same study found that 59 percent of all email directed at the firms was classified as phishing or spam messages resulting in credential theft, ransomware, or CEO fraud attempts. ( Barkly Blog)
There’s also a great article in the National Law Review that talks about how to recover your reputation after a data breach. Even though businesses all over the world are getting hit with these cyber attacks, people expect law firms to be better. They expect perfection from the legal world. So it’s hard to tell your clients that one of your employees opened a suspicious email and now your database has been infected with ransomware.
And yet, many of the nation’s largest firms have been down this road — They’ve experienced a data breach firsthand, and they understand what can happen–the stress, loss of revenue, loss of reputation, the embarrassment. It can take two years to fully recover from a data breach.
Do Your Due Diligence When It Comes To IT Security
Why are hackers trying to breach law firms? In most cases, they’re trying to steal money, passwords, or login info. However, some of the newest breaches were pulled off by pros who were trying to steal information to use for insider trading. The world of corporate espionage is alive and well, and this puts a huge burden on every legal practice to protect their critical information.
The FBI confirms that hackers are targeting large international practices and that they’d better be ready. You can easily see why lawyers are searching for the very best IT security money can buy. They simply can’t afford to deal with a significant security breach where they lose the private information of multi-million dollar corporations.
With so much at stake, you have to ask yourself: Are you prepared to handle a cyber event?
Use An IT Company That Specializes In Legal Cybersecurity
Look for a technology services provider who specializes in IT security solutions for law firms in Baltimore. This gives you an edge over using ordinary run-of-the-mill managed IT services company. They should understand the regulations that practices in Maryland must comply with. When you work with an IT company that specializes in your field, you can expect more thorough solutions, along with services that are customized.
Ask About Multi-Layered Security Processes and Security Awareness Training
Make sure your IT provider uses a multi-layered IT security process, but this isn’t just about your IT company doing everything. Your employees must be well-trained on how to spot phishing and spear-phishing emails. They can be your best asset in the war against cybercrime if trained correctly. Ask your IT provider if they conduct Security Awareness Training.
Their process for securing your data should evolve as the world of cybercrime evolves. Your IT services company should stay on top of the latest cyber threats and adapt their security process to reflect these changes. In addition, they should provide these services:
- Antivirus/Antimalware to protect user’s computers and files from things like ransomware.
- Password reports that let you know if someone’s email or computer password is inadequate or hasn’t been changed in a while.
- Two-factor authentication when your staff accesses client data.
- Security training for your team that’s included as part of your service. Your employees are the most significant vulnerability in your firm.
- Warnings about major active scams that your team needs to be aware of.
- Quarterly reviews of security best practices and recommendations for improvement in your practice.
- Daily offsite encrypted backups of your computer systems.
Also, check out optional services like SPAM filtering, email encryption, backup & disaster recovery, and data-loss prevention.
Use A Proactive Approach To Cybersecurity
Look for an IT provider who will continuously look for new ways to increase your IT efficiency so it boosts your company’s capacity for productivity. This may mean holding a two-hour workshop to show your employees a more efficient way to complete specific tasks. Or it might mean working with your marketing team to launch a successful social media campaign to bring in new clients. Whatever the challenge, they should be there are to help your firm achieve greater success while protecting your vital documents and records.
Engage With The Baltimore Legal Industry’s Top Cybersecurity Technology Solutions Company
Integris offers all of the above along with technology management, help desk services, and strategic IT consulting for law firms and legal practices in and around Baltimore, MD.
Let’s get started! Contact Integris to discover how our team can help you meet and exceed your cybersecurity objectives by harnessing the power of efficient technology.
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