SAN JOSE, CA - 2024 will be here before we know it, and who says that setting resolutions can’t extend to companies? As the new year approaches, ZAG Technical Services is sharing IT planning and budgeting strategies to help businesses strengthen protections, improve bottom lines, and maintain the food supply chain as we move into the year ahead.

“Coming from Silicon Valley tech to agribusiness just over six years ago, I was surprised by how sophisticated the industry is technologically, but equally shocked how little planning went into protecting those systems,” said Tim Bussey, Chief Financial Officer of ZAG. “The number of natural and man-made obstacles our agribusiness clients face trying to get their products to consumers is unlike any other industry. Keeping systems safer and drastically speeding recovery times is something we can control and should make every effort to do.”

As ZAG points out in a release, Microsoft reports that nearly 4,000 identity authentication threats are blocked every second. That equates to over 345 million threats blocked daily.

For those not blocked, IBM says that 67 percent of breaches were reported by a benign third party or the attackers themselves, leaving only one-third of breaches detected by companies’ security teams. More surprisingly, 70 percent of organizations encountering human-operated ransomware had fewer than 500 employees.

To help prepare agribusinesses, ZAG shares the following tips to help develop an IT plan and budget:

1. Evaluate the status of your security systems – Do an audit of your current systems and software or hire experts to do it for you. Detecting all vulnerabilities and opportunities from field to plate will help identify your needs and develop your plan
2. Determine crucial assets – Organize your list of vulnerabilities and opportunities by priority level. While there are many nice-to-haves, developing security and recovery plans that will get you back online in less than 24 hours in the event of a breach should be a priority
3. Budgeting – There is no set percentage guideline for what to spend, but the more complex and data-rich operations are, the greater the losses are in the event of a breach. To help clarify needs or make recommendations, clearly label vulnerabilities and opportunities and outline expected daily losses and added consequences in the event of a breach
4. Turn a weakness into an advantage – Technology on the farm and in the plant is sophisticated. However, you may not be able to build or afford an in-house team to handle everything, including cybersecurity, data collection, operations, smart technology, AI, and data, but you can afford to prioritize working with a managed service provider (MSP) to supplement your IT department with a team of experts ready to assist in strategy development, maintenance, and execution
5. Review and audit regularly – Don’t set it and forget it. Tech and costs are constantly changing, and strategies need to be reassessed throughout the year. Regular audits that detail progress, weaknesses, and recommendations will help keep your systems safer

To read more of ZAG’s tips, click here.

Reach out to ZAG if you need help with your IT plan and budget so you can enter 2024 well-prepared.

ZAG Technical Services