With an unprecedented rise in cyber-attack cases, the need for updated technology and skilled personnel has increased, especially for companies whose workflow integrates outsourcing resources. With such rapid developments, organizations that depend on in-house staffing are significantly more prone to data breaches as the crew isn’t aware of the industry standard protocols to combat cyber security data breaches in legacy systems.
Compared to the tech available for modern-day companies, legacy systems are considered relics of the past. This is so much so that the required replacements of these systems, if not implemented, will result in dire consequences regarding legacy system security issues and cyber security attacks.
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With them being such a data breach risk, many organizations around the globe still have some fragments of legacy systems, if not whole, which not only puts the security of the companies on the line but also the user-sensitive data of the respective clients that can be used for malicious intents if gotten into the wrong hands.
What are Legacy Systems?
Legacy systems are old and dated pieces of technology still lingering in the era of advanced technological advancements. While out of touch and out of date, these systems are only partially obsolete even in today’s age, as they provide certain advantages to even high-tech entities, which is why they prefer legacy systems or even legacy systems integrations over legacy system modernizations.
The reason why such outdated systems are even in use, especially since they are prone to data breaches, can be one of the following:
Why Companies OPT for Legacy System Integration
Sense of Familiarity
One of the many reasons some corporations are still bent on using legacy systems is primarily due to the sense of familiarity they bring. This makes the experience for the staff in charge relatively easy as it has become a part of their daily routine over the years of usage and implementation.
Downside
The downside, however, for this ease of usability is that the familiarity can go both ways. Potential hackers have had years of time and experience to come up with ways to exploit such legacy systems, which, as a result, increases the number of potential areas of risk in data breaches. A competent workforce that can adapt to such hindrances is necessary in such circumstances.
Optimal for Business Continuity
Enterprises ranging from small to large scale usually work on an operation flow. This means that the companies follow a specific set of protocols and metrics that help their employees achieve the company’s desired results. Such business continuation is essential because implementing a new system in the workflow can cause hindrances in the operation setup, which not only becomes an obstacle but can also decrease the optimal result rate daily.
Downside
Business continuity on paper looks good, but this can result in a high-risk data breach as predictive analysis can easily crack down the encryptions placed for security against potential cyberattacks.
Cost-Effective
Being budget-friendly is one of the biggest reasons why many firms will not switch to a modern-day system compared to their current legacy system. The additional costs of implementing a modern system can be quite a dent in the annual budget schematics. While companies do have countermeasures for extra costs that can, in the future, help preserve the data as well as reduce data breach risks, it still ends up being a point for debate as to whether it is financially optimal for the agency to introduce new systems or keep the workflow going with the legacy systems.
Downside
Any amount of financial gain or preservation that puts the use of information at risk is considered unethical by some companies. It can violate many security regulations for prevention and data breach risk assessments.
Therefore, spending as many financial resources as possible within a given framework is generally considered industry standard to ensure that these legacy systems do not become potential risk areas in data breaches.
Data Preservation
The amount of data lost over system advancements and technological changes in a company is enough to cause concern. If proper protocols, backups, and communication between the team in charge are not set up, the loss of information can arise on a bigger scale. Though agencies of larger scale may be able to withstand such obstacles, in case a data loss does occur, it is reported that 70% of the smaller companies end up closing within a year.
Downside
Even if companies manage to preserve data to the best of their abilities, legacy systems cannot withstand any high-level cyber attacks, which will cause data breaches in legacy systems. This, in turn, puts an additional load on the workforce that can cause a snowball effect if the problem persists over time.
Underlying Risks of Legacy Systems
All-time Risk of Data Breaches
The staggering rate of data breaches continues to leave security personnel in shambles, with reports suggesting that approximately 2,200 cyber attacks occur daily. And the results seem even more shocking when stats show that around 80% of business data is still stored in legacy systems. This brings a high risk of data breach in legacy systems that, if not attended to, can result in devastating consequences.
Therefore, specific regulations have been put in place to ensure that as much damage as possible can be avoided in the case of a cyber-attack; the potential chance of a data breach is still much higher in legacy systems than in modern machinery and software.
Lack of Security Patches
To ensure a sense of optimal security over a more extended period, companies tend to roll out frequent security patches to ensure that the technology used by these firms can keep up with the times and reduce data breach risk.
Though the same cannot be said about legacy systems as time passes, it becomes much more difficult for companies to provide security patches to such old relics and keep them compatible with modern-day security requirements.
Compatibility Issues with Authorization Factors
As a countermeasure, many enterprises have been placing authentication layers as a part of their security protocols to provide additional security personnel to reduce data breaches in legacy systems.
Such authentication factors range from single-factor authentication to multi-factor authentication. However, in the case of data-sensitive organizations, multi-factor authentication has become the industry standard as the agencies are responsible for handling crucial user information regarding all respective parties involved.
The same authentication protocols and regulations cannot be set up with the legacy systems used in some companies, even when intended. The reason roots back to the developmental core of such legacy systems and the team that has been trained to use such outdated systems since many of the modern authentication factors were not available when legacy systems were put together. Such a handicap can not only make companies prone to cyber attacks but is also a significant factor in legacy system security issues.
Data Leakage
Coping with a data breach is only one-half of the picture regarding legacy systems, as managing the data involved is more challenging than it seems. Due to the older firmware and outdated technology incorporated in these legacy systems, snippets of data are more likely to leak through multiple communication channels and daily routine tasks.
This data leakage, although not as dangerous as a full-blown cyber-attack, can still harm companies. A flawed data breach risk assessment can lead to a cyber-attack security breach.
Dependence on Outdated Tech
The constant use of legacy systems over an extended period can not only cause the user experience to fade. Still, it can also lead the organization to depend on such old technology.
The ease of familiarity and dependence on such legacy systems can increase the chance of a security breach as the security personnel will need the proper protocols and regulations required to keep up with modern cyber attacks, as these data breaches will most probably be based on modern-day technology.
This, in turn, will also lead to the organization finding it hard to adapt to newer technology implemented as a defense mechanism against such cyber-attacks. Such delays cause hindrances in the overall workflow, disrupting security focus and producing potential risk areas in data breaches. Therefore, many companies are gravitating towards outsourcing resources provided by competent outsourcing firms such as remote scouts to ensure proper workflow channels and better integration of solutions required for modern-day problems.
Maintenance Cost
Although legacy systems have an edge regarding the additional costs of adding newer systems to the organization’s operation system, the financial resources spent on maintaining such outdated ones make this edge seem pointless in the grand scheme.
In recent years, reports suggest a whopping $85 billion is spent annually in the US to maintain such outdated systems and keep them running optimally.
Which is better, Integration or Modernization?
With the recent rise in cases of cybersecurity data breaches, the decision to go for legacy system integration or modernization depends on the operational issues faced by the company. While agencies such as Remote Scouts prioritize user security and exemplary staffing services and refute the use of such inept legacy systems, many other agencies must decide whether to go for integration or the modernization route.
Legacy systems integration refers to the use of modern-day tech alongside the currently used legacy systems, while the modernization route involves upgrading the legacy system itself. While both provide some sense of security in case of data breach legacy systems, modernization of legacy systems is the better-suggested path for firms over integration. Yet, a proper assessment of the operation flow should be made at a systematic and personnel level before changing the operational flow to its core. This will not only help companies reduce the chances of a data breach but, in turn, also help them keep in view the flaws their systems and the current workforce have.
Legacy Systems and Potential Violations of GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) were put in place by the European Union in hopes of better preserving the security rights of all users involved. After the announcement of these regulations on May 25, 2018, the dependability of the organizations using legacy systems was questioned as to whether the teams in charge of security and the employees were technologically compatible with the regulations.
While the presence of legacy systems in the operations flow of these companies does not necessarily mean the violation of GDPR, such flawed technology has a higher probability of cyber-security data breaches. Thus, since the implementation of GDPR, many companies around the globe have updated their legacy systems in the form of integration, modernization, and a complete change and overhaul of the technology being used to reduce data breach risk.
To emphasize the application of GDPR and the standard following procedure, certain fines have been imposed if an organization has been found violating the regulations. These fines do depend on the severity of the breach as in case of a higher level, the fine can go up to € 20 million or 4% of the annual revenue, while the lower limit for violations has been set upon € 10 million or 2% of the yearly income. Such fines can help ensure that if a data breach in legacy systems occurs, the involved organizations can take the required steps to ensure that such a cyber-security data breach does not happen.
Cooperate entities around the globe have taken adequate steps to ensure that a data breach in legacy systems does not occur by referring to outsourcing solutions. Such solutions help delegate the flexibility and the changes required, which would take immense resources in the case of in-house team training and adaptability. Remote Scouts have set industry-leading standards by providing skilled and exemplary staffing solutions worldwide. Choosing a firm that excels in outsourcing and offshore staffing solutions is vital, as users must ensure that the agency of their choice provides consistent results and has the best possible technology available to reduce data breach risk. Modern-day organizations should have a blend of updated technological solutions and high-quality and dedicated staff to ensure the best possible outputs, so you should contact Remote Scouts today!
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