The U.S. government is warning hospitals and healthcare providers to take precautions to protect their networks from imminent ransomware threats. The joint cybersecurity advisory focuses on a recent increase of the utilization of Ryuk ransomware. 

According to the advisory from the FBI, CISA and HHS, Ryuk ransomware first appeared in August 2018. However, the past 30 days have seen multiple healthcare systems report Ryuk attacks and infections, resulting in millions of dollars in ransom demands.

While you work to succeed and grow your business during the pandemic, cyberthreats are growing, as well. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the current climate to better mask their phishing and malware attacks on your critical data.

According to the FBI, attacks related to COVID-19 have increased 400 percent. A recent study shows that 53 percent of U.S. industrial enterprises have seen an increase in cybersecurity threats since onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Did you know that 82 percent of organizations will deal with a compromised production server? And 69 percent of IT decision-makers aren’t confident that they could reliably recover all business-critical data in the event of a cyberattack.

There’s nothing hypothetical about cyber threats. Businesses face hundreds of unseen dangers each day, and your success could depend on having the right tools to recover quickly and reliably.

No one wants to make a call for help when they can quickly get results with a self-service portal. In the IT world, a do-it-yourself account management portal allows you to quickly add services or products, make bill payments, submit and track support tickets and check your billing history. All without leaving your desk.  

If you’re in the market for an IT provider, a self-service portal should be at the top of you must-haves list.

Great business partners are committed, passionate and smart team players. They challenge you to think beyond the norm and inspire you to reach new goals. Unfortunately, the wrong partnerships can become tedious, leading you down paths that cause confusion and missteps. The bottom line: Your relationships can mean the difference between business success and failure.

Kirk Herbstreit is the nation’s most trusted authority in college football. He’s made a career out of recognizing what it takes to win on ESPN’s College Game Day.