Cybersecurity in 2023

Is your estate agency a target for cyber criminals?

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.

Estate agents cyberattack

IT Security Checklist

  • Do you know what data you are holding? It doesn’t matter how big or small your agency is, GDPR rule apply to you. You need to understand what personal data you hold and collect, how you are acquiring it, how you are storing it and who has access to it. You need to have a ‘legal basis’ for having the data, and you should only be keeping hold of it for as long as you need to.

 

  • Are your IT systems and processes up to date? Your IT system needs to have privacy and security at its core. How are you protecting the data you hold from cyberattacks? Things to consider here include all devices used by team members (such as laptops and mobile phones), servers, back-ups and how/where they are stored, encryption, passwords, antivirus software and what happens when employees leave.

 

  • Are your staff aware of the threat? Staff are one of the easiest ways in for cybercriminals. A large part of keeping your business and the data you hold safe, lies in making sure everyone in the team is aware of cyber threats. As such attacks are getting more sophisticated by the day, training should form part of the induction for all new starters but also be repeated and updated annually for all team members.
Lets get started

How Dragon IS can help

 

At Dragon IS, for more than a decade we have been supporting estate agencies just like yours, to keep their IT systems efficient and secure.

We specialise in working with growing estate agencies to provide comprehensive IT management services, supporting their day-to-day activities, as well as development needs.

 

Call us on 0330 363 0055, email lionel@dragon-is.com, or fill in the form, to arrange your FREE GDPR & CYBER ESSENTIALS AUDIT.

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