Everybody knows that the goal of a nonprofit business isn’t really to make a profit, and if you didn’t the clue is in the name. That means there’s no benefit to hacking them, right? Wrong. Non-profits are no longer exempt from the rising numbers of companies that fall victim to cybercrimes.
Non-profit organizations handle very large amounts of sensitive data every day that hackers can make a lot of money from. Knowing that your nonprofit is at risk should mean that you tighten up security and impose new safety measures.
Knee jerk reactions to threats usually result in amped up security and a memo to employees explaining the new procedures that don’t really explain much of anything, leaving your company more vulnerable. If staff aren’t sure how to handle their information properly, or get confused about the new or old policies and rules, there’s a larger chance of someone accidentally opening a phishing email and giving hackers access to your system, which can have devastating effects on your organization.
Reputation
A security breach and data leak can have a hugely damaging effect on your reputation. A Forbes Insights report stated that 46% of organizations suffer permanent harm as a result of a hack and it doesn’t even need to be a direct breach; third party security issues and IT failures also have a negative impact on how clients view your service. If you’re seen to be unreliable or untrustworthy, donors will choose to give their money elsewhere.
You can minimize this risk by taking appropriate security measures. Never rely on free protection software and make sure that your safety plan covers as many bases as possible. Include damage detection and response programs, a crisis management plan and an endpoint protection system. Keeping your organization cloud based also means that you will have the latest protective software as a cloud vendor’s reputation depends on keeping your data safe.
Vandalism
Not exactly graffiti on your office walls, but not far off. Vandalism is a technique used by hackers to plant false information on your system - further damaging your reputation if it’s seen by investors and clients. It also involves wiping other data from your files, leaving you with little or no updated information and which makes work impossible. Without being available to donors and charity workers, your organization could collapse.
It’s expensive
An organization can be shut down for days, perhaps weeks as a result of a security breach, meaning donations can’t be taken during that time. Just because the money isn’t coming in doesn’t mean that your overheads stop - you still have to cover your nonprofit’s expenses and employee wages whilst you’re down.
To stop this from happening, and to protect your non-profit against data breaches, a more rounded strategy for data handling is needed because a simple antivirus isn’t going to cut it. Your non-profit company needs to develop a three-step approach to security. Data policies, staff training and data protection technology all need to be at the forefront of any internal data protection system you put into place.
Stratosphere Networks is a leading provider in managed services and has demonstrated the ability to keep businesses and their data safe. Contact us today for more information about how you can keep your non-profit safe from cyberattacks.
