What Companies Should Be Doing to Prepare for the Next Ransomware Attack -

The “WannaCry” cyberattack that struck in May paralyzed businesses, government entities, and Britain’s National Health Service, encrypting computer files on infected machines unless the owner paid a $300 ransom. The attack exposed major shortcomings in the approach of governments as well as businesses around the world to cybersecurity. And it reveals just how inadequate our existing approach to cybersecurity is in the face of the widespread availability of software exploits and the increasing prevalence of malicious actors online.

So what is a business that needs to act now to do? Putting in place a technically advanced cybersecurity system is expensive, and it requires constant, ongoing monitoring and investment. For years, Silicon Valley enthusiasts and business innovators have been telling us that “every company is now a tech company,” but we are seeing almost weekly evidence now of something more insidious and challenging to corporate America: Every company, no matter what their core competency is supposed to be, is now a tech company when it comes to cybersecurity. Your ability to conduct business, to do whatever the thing is you’re actually supposed to be doing, is contingent upon the strength of your technology systems and the resilience of your data systems.