The business landscape is not the same as it was a decade ago as regards hiring a hacker.
The competition is daunting, and customer expectations are higher than ever.
Not keeping pace can slow you down and affect your market positioning sooner than later.
Running a company today is complicated as you need to think beyond selling your products, managing a team, and keeping operations on track.
Most organizations have IT ecosystems with a network, applications, hardware, and data. While technology keeps your organization relevant and competitive, it has some downsides too. After all, securing your IT assets is a critical responsibility.
Not surprisingly, most modern organizations implement strong cyber safety practices from the outset.
From enforcing a security policy to creating IT awareness and vetting employees and vendors, they do everything to fortify their systems and networks against threats and attacks.
But securing your data and system from hackers takes much more. Hiring an ethical hacker is a great idea as it takes you the extra mile. Let us explain why it is a savvy business decision.
1. Establish a robust network
Making your business hack-proof is primarily about fortifying its networking infrastructure. An ethical hacker can help you establish a robust network no one can penetrate.
They have an in-depth understanding of different kinds of networks and the potential vulnerabilities real attackers may exploit. Moreover, they can think like malicious hackers, which enables them to foresee the threats you may face in the future.
They are in the best place to suggest integrated security mechanisms to lower your vulnerability to breaches. You feel more confident with a system secured by someone who recognizes the risks inside out.
Paying them is a sensible approach as you incur only a fraction of the cost of dealing with a cyber-attack.
2. Educate employees about security
Cybersecurity is one of the key concerns for business owners in the era of hacking attacks and security threats. The growing number of such incidents is intimidating for business owners.
The human factor is perhaps the weakest link when it comes to corporate cybersecurity. Your employees may open up your network to hacking risks intentionally or unintentionally.
For example, they may click suspicious links or open malicious sites, exposing the network to a huge risk even without knowing the implications of their actions.
Conversely, malicious employees may leave a flaw open for a cyber attacker to penetrate and steal confidential files and data.
Having a hacker on board covers you on both fronts. They can identify the suspects and ensure security against internal malice.
At the same time, they can educate your team and create awareness about steering clear of mistakes while using company devices and sharing folders.
3. Stay always on alert
Cyber attacks are more common than ever, so the last thing you should do is go complacent with your company’s privacy.
You cannot wait for an attacker to get into your systems and steal your information. Moreover, hacking threats are ever-evolving because attackers have new ways to compromise the strongest systems and networks.
Having a hacker in your team keeps you ahead of the latest threats and attacks. You are always on alert, which minimizes the chance of an incident and keeps your data and reputation intact.
It is much like always staying one step ahead of attackers, so they can never catch up with you or break through your defences.
4. Test your apps and networks
Your apps and networks are prone to attacks if they have the tiniest vulnerability to let an attacker in. You can hire a hacker to test the systems thoroughly and detect the potential entry points malicious people may access.
Ethical hackers serve expertise in penetration testing, which leaves no room for any flaw in your infrastructure to go undetected.
They try to break through every possible defence like real attackers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your systems.
Once you find these weak links, you can address them and prevent an attack altogether. You can rest assured about a safe ecosystem today, and ensure the same with a regular testing schedule for your system.
5. Keep penalties at bay
Every organization owns confidential data relating to clients, employees, and partners. Data privacy is one of the growing concerns for modern business owners because they are liable for it.
Industry-specific regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS enforce data privacy as a corporate responsibility. An organization that fails to follow them can land in a problem with hefty penalties and even lawsuits.
Overlooking hacking attacks is not a choice, whether you hold a few hundred records or have millions of them in your systems.
A hacker can help you implement essential measures to protect confidential data, stay compliant with regulations, and prevent penalties and regulatory action in the long run.
Hiring them is the savviest choice for any business owner.
6. Safeguard your reputation
Hiring a hacker is a worthy decision because it does more than prevent attacks and address risks. On a larger scale, it lets you safeguard your reputation and retain the trust of your clients, partners, and employees.
A single event of breach is enough to hurt your credibility because customers are more conscious about privacy than ever.
Likewise, partners may not want to associate with you when you take a casual approach to data security. Employee information theft can tarnish your employer’s brand, and even deprive you of getting the best talent in the industry.
Getting a hacker on your team can protect your business from such severe implications.
Conclusion
Although hiring a hacker may sound strange, it can be an excellent approach to strengthen your IT setup.
Most businesses embrace the strategy, regardless of the size and scale of operations.
You should have no qualms about hiring these professionals for the long haul because the cost of the action is far more than the benefits.
But you must ensure having reliable and reputable professionals you can trust to manage your systems and deal with the threats they may encounter today and in the future.