It has become more and more common to see ransomware attacks cause long-term disruption to businesses’ services and systems. Baker & Taylor confirmed it is still trying to restore its system despite being hit more than a week ago. Clearly, our current approach towards cybersecurity is not right.

Downtime in services can be disastrous for a business, with it potentially effecting both customers and partners, which ultimately can lead to a loss of trust among users, and the enterprise taking a big financial hit. More worryingly, however, is the impact it can have on employees.

Security teams will be working relentlessly to get systems running again, and they will be under pressure to get it done as quickly as possible. As well as the rush to get services working again, security teams will fear the next potential ransomware attack, which can put an insurmountable amount of pressure and stress on tech professionals’ shoulders.

Recent research has shown that 45% of professionals have considered quitting the industry due to stress, with the primary issue being the constant threat posed by ransomware. Organisations can no longer accept this mindset of detecting and mitigating, we must stop ransomware attacks before they cause irreversible damage.

By shifting the mindset of security teams from mitigation to prevention, organisations can stop ransomware attacks before they breach the network and cause the downfall of systems and services. Libraries are a place of calmness and tranquillity, with a prevention-first approach organisations can try and do the exact same with cybersecurity.