IT Security Could Cost You Your Job!

In December 2013, retail superpower Target was the target (hehe) of a massive data breach that could have affected as many as 110 million customers. On Monday, May 5, 2014, the CEO of Target, Gregg Steinhafel, announced that he would be stepping down, no doubt a result of the chaos that engulfed his company in the aftermath of this data breach. Target's CFO, John Mulligan, has stepped in as interim CEO until the position is filled once again.

In a personal statement from Steinhafel, he "held himself personally responsible" for the breach.

As he should. As a business leader, it is your responsibility to protect both your company and your clients via any means necessary. If you don't, there could be serious consequences. In this case, Target's fourth quarter stock shares dropped in value by approximately $0.30/share, and it anticipates a sales drop of 2.5%. These small numbers add up when you are a multi-billion dollar corporation.

There's a valuable lesson to be learned from this whole debacle: It doesn't matter who you are in the event of an IT disaster. Your job is on the line. Business and IT are essentially the same entity. Without one, the other can't thrive. If your IT fails, so does your business. It's as simple as that.

The first step toward ensuring that your company doesn't crash and burn (and that your job, in turn, is secure) is to place proper emphasis on your IT security. Taking this crucial first step toward protecting your business is the most important one. Target may have hired a new IT professional to keep their business safe, but Steinhafel still had to let himself go in order to let the company start over anew. However, the difference between your company and Target is that you don't need to hire a new team member, and pay an outrageous salary to reap the benefits of a good IT staff.

The good news is this: you have SMART Services on your side. Without a proper IT staff, how can you hope to keep the hackers at bay? Simple. Call SMART Services and take advantage of our managed IT services. We can monitor your systems for any malicious presence, install protective software like firewalls and antivirus, and offer you phone and remote support to keep your company safe and sound.

Don't let hackers take advantage of the big red target on your company's data and your client's personal information. Contact SMART Services at 586 258-0650 today so you don't suffer the same consequences as Mr. Steinhafel.