Is Your Local IT Support Properly Securing Your Cannabis Business?
Cybersecurity should be a concern for all types of businesses, and that includes yours and the others operating in the cannabis industry. Arguably, it’s even more important, as you’re a part of a newer industry that may attract even more attention from cybercriminals.
The logic here is that, as newer businesses, you won’t have the resources to invest in protecting your data and other assets. That’s why it’s all the more important to understand the risks and make sure you have local IT support for your Cannabis business.
What Are The Three Main Targets Your Local IT Support Should Help You Protect?
If you understand what parts of your business cybercriminals are targeting, then you can better protect them. This is easier with expert assistance from local IT support:
1. Protect Your IP
You may assume that the most lucrative targets would be those dealing with customers and their personal information, but that’s not entirely accurate. The intellectual property owned by research and extraction firms and cultivators is just as valuable to cybercriminals.
It’s at these points in the seed-to-sale chain that cannabis industry members are the most high-value targets. Cybercriminals target these types of businesses to access and steal intellectual property, such as new strains being developed, marketing strategies and technological cultivation techniques. In the event that this type of information is compromised, cultivators could lose their competitive edge within a highly active industry.
2. Protect Your Payment System
This is a more logical target for cybercriminals, given the value of credit card and other financial data, as well as how new (and potentially vulnerable) many payment systems are. Due to how cash-heavy the industry has been, there has been considerable opportunity for the introduction of new payment systems to help simplify these processes.
The fact is that these new systems are often ideal targets for hackers. They have been developed quickly to fill a large demand, a process during which corners are often cut, especially when it comes to security.
3. Customer Data Breaches
Last and certainly not least, you need to protect your customers’ personal information. This is especially important when it comes to medical information. Due to the medical use of the product, the cannabis industry overlaps with the healthcare world. The Protected Health Information (PHI) you deal with has to be secured against cybercriminals.
How Should Local IT Support Protect Your Cannabis Business?
The fact is that you probably can’t handle all of this on your own. At least, not effectively. As you grow your business, you need to be able to focus on it, and not worry about your cybersecurity.
That’s why assistance from your local IT support is so valuable – DeVeera can help. Our team will help implement simple and robust security measures, deploying security devices like firewalls, patching, antivirus software updates, intrusion and gateway protection, to name a few. With our help, you don’t have to be worried about cybercrime in the cannabis industry.
