The answer is yes.
Why? Because of the valuable data you hold
If you’re an estate agency with a small team and limited time and resources, then data protection and cyber security may be far down your to-do list. But that’s a very risky strategy – especially with attacks on the rise.
How confident are you in your current IT systems, to both prevent and detect attacks? Are they secure and fit for purpose, but also efficient and designed to evolve with your growing business?
Don’t let your business be an easy target!
Despite strict new data protection rules (GDPR), only a third of SME businesses have a basic data protection policy and those working in real estate are the least likely to have cyber security measures in place.
But a data breach could hit your business financially and also cause lasting damage to your reputation. Already this year 32% of businesses have experienced breaches or attacks. The most common being phishing emails (80%) and viruses or other malware, including ransomware.
What can you do about it?
Here at Dragon, when we first start working with estate agents, they often don’t fully appreciate the dangers and how best to manage them. Our advice is to treat data protection as you would any other legal requirement.
For example, you are required by law to take copies of passports and other important identification for money laundering purposes. You can’t make a sale without them. How you store and manage that data – which would be highly prized on the dark web as it is an easy route to identity fraud – is just as important an obligation. When it comes to agencies who work as leasing agents, the management of data can get even more complex.
You’re also in a highly competitive sector, where efficiency is vital for profitability. Having the right IT systems in place and the support of an experienced IT management company, such as the team here at Dragon, can help give you a competitive advantage.
