A Client’s Business is on the Brink After an Attack
It was a situation Harsch saw playing out repeatedly: clients unprepared for cyberattacks and putting their businesses at risk.
“Some people have had their QuickBooks hacked to the point where they [the hackers] could access client credit card numbers,” said Harsch.
But one of her clients suffered an especially frightening—and still unresolved—security breach. The client hired a programmer who took down the company’s firewalls to make some changes to its systems. Unfortunately, the programmer never put the firewalls back up.
With the company’s defenses down, Russian cybercriminals swept in and made away with social security numbers, birth dates and other critical pieces of customer information. The attackers demanded a ransom from the company. The programmer had no insurance to cover a cyberattack. And the company itself had very little.
So far, the company has spent at least $100,000 to try to recover data and mitigate negative results from the attack. But the damage was done. Currently, the company’s ability to survive is questionable because customer trust has begun to falter.
Harsch Business Services Embraces Smart Security Management
Tired of hearing about security disasters and dealing with apps that didn’t do what they were designed to do, Harsch turned to Rightworks to secure her clients’ data and give both her and her clients peace of mind. A longtime customer of Rightworks cloud hosting for QuickBooks Desktop and Drake, Harsch implemented Secure Workstation and enrolled herself and another consultant in Security Awareness Training.
These two offerings are services that help firms achieve Smart Security Management, a strategy created by Rightworks that delivers not just the same enterprise-level data protection that big banks enjoy but also up-to-date training for consultants on how to prevent security breaches.
Secure Workstation keeps data secure in the cloud with minimal intervention on Harsch’s part. And training has helped Harsch and her employees stay current on security threats and how to avoid them.
“We found it valuable because you just don’t think about security, but now that you have to look at it every month, you say, ‘OK I remember this now.’ It brings your awareness level up,” Harsch said.
Aside from peace of mind, Harsch said she also enjoys the speed and ease of use Rightworks’ security apps provide, as well as U.S.-based support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“I do work unusual hours,” she stated. “Evening is when I can get things done. Sometimes I wake up on weekend mornings, have some coffee and get some work done.”
With the Smart Security Management concept in place, Harsch says she’s confident that she will avoid the nightmare scenarios she has seen her clients experience. She’s also being proactive about educating her clients on security.
Mary Harsch Spreads the Word About Rightworks
Through the Rightworks Customer Advocates Program, Harsch is actively recommending that clients adopt Smart Security Management as well as Rightworks cloud hosting. Some clients have already made the move, and she’s working on others—including those that have suffered their own security nightmares.
“I know that there is thievery of all kinds,” Harsch explained. “With me having tax programs, I just know I have to be really careful. With Rightworks, I know that my security setup is working the way it should be working.”
Ready to protect your firm’s data and sleep better at night? Contact Rightworks today.