It’s been more than two years since the first stories of COVID-19 hit the news, and so much about how we live and work has changed during that time. The global pandemic affected every area of business in economies the world over, resulting in financial losses and closures, especially for small enterprises and start-ups.

Businesses of all sizes would benefit from raising their awareness of the potential threats for the year ahead. Hackers are not only exploiting new vulnerabilities such as Log4Shell, but also continuing their use of tried-and-tested methods like phishing and attacking unpatched systems to compromise the security of businesses. There are also challenges in achieving compliance which will be a barrier for organisations looking to secure business and supply chain data.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for shifting working arrangements from fixed locations and office hours to remote working, with dispersed teams and flexible working patterns. Changing working environments has led businesses to embrace new ways to monitor their workforce's activity and productivity and ensure work goals are being met.

CHECK and CREST are two separate accreditations approved for use by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST). CHECK, which is an abbreviation of IT Health Check Service, is an NCSC initiative for protecting government and public sector systems in line with government policy.

Cloud computing is a highly convenient and cost-effective way of storing data, but it also comes with risks. Businesses often use this technology without understanding how vulnerable they are to security breaches. With the rise in cybercrimes, businesses need to be more vigilant about their data security than ever before. This article will discuss some of the most common cyber security risks associated with cloud computing and provide information on how they can be managed.