Failing to protect your business from cyberattacks could cost you up to £17m in fines or 4% of global turnover.
This Government crackdown aims to safeguard essential services such as water, energy, transport and healthcare.
Showing your organisation has disaster recovery measures in place to cover power failures and environmental disasters will also be a requirement.
These fines would not apply to firms that suffer an attack even if they already have safeguards in operation, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said. According to Digital Minister, Matt Hancock, any fine administered would be as a last resort.
Mr Hancock, who is launching a consultation on the plans, said: “We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to live and be online, with our essential services and infrastructure prepared for the increasing risk of cyber-attack.”
The consultation aims to determine how to implement the Network and Information Systems (NIS) directive that becomes law across the EU next May.
In addition, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which aims to protect data, rather than services, will replace the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998 from 25 May next year, regardless of Brexit.
The DCMS believes firms should already have measures in place to prevent against cyberattacks or systems failures and they do not take cyber-security seriously.
The threat to firms from cyberattacks is increasing.
Earlier this year, attackers breached the security of a number of NHS services across England and Scotland, massively disrupting hospital and GP appointments.
In a Government survey, nearly half (46%) of British businesses were found to have suffered at least one cyber-security breach or attack in the past year.
This proportion rose to two-thirds among medium and large companies.
Most often, these breaches involved fraudulent emails being sent to staff or security issues relating to viruses, spyware or malware.
Toll fraud protection and disaster recovery planning.
In addition to cybersecurity protection, do you know how to protect your telephone system from security breaches?
Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place should you be without your telephone system for any length of time?
With a full suite of business telecoms solutions, Office Phone Shop can help you with all aspects of your business communications. Whether this means putting into place measures for loss of communications, or guarding against telephone system hacking that could result in unnecessary bills running into the thousands, our experienced telecoms engineers are on hand to offer advice.
Call 0800 012 6687, or request a callback via the website.
