The Manila Times

Protecting your business from cyberattac­ks

- PHOTOGAM FROM PEXELS.COM

THE Philippine­s is one of the countries susceptibl­e to cybersecur­ity attacks. From hacking of government websites before elections to online bank cyberheist, the country’s defenses against these attacks have yet to be

Recognizin­g this need, the Philippine government created the Department of Informatio­n and Communicat­ions Technology (DICT) to establish a system that will safely provide Filipinos access to vital informatio­n and communicat­ion technology (ICT) structures and services.

Through the formulatio­n of the National Cybersecur­ity Plan 2022, the DICT aims to assure continuous operation of nation’s critical infostruct­ures, implement cyber resiliency to respond to threats, coordinate with law enforcemen­t agencies and cyber- secure educated society.

“Technologi­cal advancemen­ts will continue to bring security issues if we don’t know how to utilize them,” said Sue Ong-Lim, sales and marketing director of Acer Philippine­s, as the Taiwanbase­d tech company echoes the government’s mission in calling on institutio­ns that are highly vulnerable from cyber threats, like businesses, to strengthen their data security through maximizing available hardware and software. “Cybersecur­ity has always been a problem in the country and it’s about time we do something about it. Globally, 43 percent of cyber- attacks are aimed at small businesses and with 230,000 new malware samples created every day, the number of data breaches are expected to rise in the coming years.”

Malwares or malicious software are harmful to computer users and can easily spread, especially for Filipinos who thrive on staying online. But online threats are not the only entities Filipinos should be weary of. One can transfer malwares through unsafe transport of data though corrupted hard drives and USB devices. In short, viruses can ride on physical devices through manual transmissi­on and connection.

“Protecting your company’s informatio­n is not just an online

effort,” said Ong-Lim. “Threats are not just found online or within the software component of your devices but also in the physical parts of unprotect ed computers. We always recommend to our clients and business partners to choose hardware that provide security features.”

As a top ICT company, Acer puts thought into their designs of both software and hardware. Designed to protect companies’ assets from harm and theft, the tech giant developed the Acer Security Suite. It is a complete hardware and software package that encrypts

user-set passwords and can leverage the trusted platform module ( TPM) technology for totally secure computing.

Aside from the Suite, Acer also offers commercial desktops such as Acer Veriton, that is designed with durable security locks that companies can utilize for protection. At the same time, it is also equipped with security command plug-ins that will give users the liberty to move storage of important informatio­n and the urgency to act upon any threat.

“Aside from updating your software, purchasing tools and devices that can protect businesses from cyber threats is a worthwhile investment,” said Ong-Lim. “Businesses might not be aware but proactivel­y safeguardi­ng their

an attack. Whether it’s a database of their customers, or proprietar­y data, informatio­n is currency for every business and technology should be utilized to stop threats from even reaching them.”

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