"Surprisingly, the legal industry has proven slow to adopt sound cyber-security," related Jennifer Mazzanti, CEO, eMazzanti Technologies. "Furthermore, migration to the cloud, insufficient access management and the prevalence of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies have all increased the danger."
Below are a few excerpts from the article, "8 Law Firm Cyber-Security Best Practices."
Cyber-Crime Targets
"Because they hold vast amounts of sensitive client and financial data, law firms represent desirable targets for cyber-criminals. In fact, a 2018 survey conducted by the American Bar Association reported that nearly 20 percent of law firms have experienced a cyber-attack. And hackers have increasingly begun to turn their attention to small law firms."
1. Ensure Encryption
"An essential element of law firm cyber-security involves encrypting data both in transit and at rest. This means that all data transfers, including email, should be encrypted. In addition, encrypt data where it resides, whether on-premises or in the cloud."
2. Back Up Data Regularly
"Perform regular backups of any data you cannot afford to lose and store the backups off-site. Cyber-criminals see law firms as lucrative targets for ransomware. In a ransomware attack, the perpetrators encrypt vast amounts of data, often charging millions of dollars for the decryption tool. Organizations without backups that choose not to pay the ransom lose data permanently."
3. Institute Records Retention Policies
"Documents add up quickly in a law office. Many firms mistakenly assume that clients expect them to hold information indefinitely. But holding onto enormous amounts of data not only proves costly; it also presents a security risk. Hackers cannot compromise information that no longer exists."
More law firm cyber-security best practices >>
Engage a Trusted Cyber-security Partner
A data breach often spells disaster for a law firm, from the immediate loss of intellectual property to long-term loss of client trust. Bringing legal IT security experts on board will deliver the peace of mind the firm and its clients need to focus on core business goals.
eMazzanti Technologies ranks among the leading legal technology vendors, providing comprehensive cyber-security solutions, as well as cost-effective managed services. Its trained and certified legal IT experts can help firms implement best practices to ensure the security of sensitive information.
Related resource information:
Document Management Essentials for Law Firms
Reduce Costs and Respond Quickly with Proactive eDiscovery
About eMazzanti Technologies
eMazzanti's team of trained, certified IT experts rapidly deliver increased revenue growth, data security and productivity for clients ranging from law firms to high-end global retailers, expertly providing advanced retail and payment technology, digital marketing services, cloud and mobile solutions, multi-site implementations, 24×7 outsourced network management, remote monitoring and support.
eMazzanti has made the Inc. 5000 list eight consecutive years, is a 3X Microsoft Partner of the Year, the #1 ranked NYC area MSP, NJ Business of the Year, 5X WatchGuard Partner of the Year and one of the Top 200 U.S. Microsoft Partners! Contact: 1-866-362-9926, [email protected] or http://www.emazzanti.net.Twitter: @emazzanti, Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.
SOURCE eMazzanti Technologies
Related Links
http://www.emazzanti.net
Share this article