What a Home Renovation Disaster Can Teach You About Cyber Security

It doesn’t rain often here in Southern California, but when the skies do open, you don’t want to be the owner of a house that has its roof covered with tarps because you’re in the middle of a re-tiling project. No. You don’t want to be that person.

I didn’t want to be that person either, but I was last week. And what happened is probably worse than what you imagine.

We’re not talking drips and drops here. We’re talking waterfalls into the attic and then through the ceiling in different areas.

What does that much water do to the interior of a house and its contents? Let’s just say that it’s a disaster, and we will be dealing with the impact of this for many months, what with insurance and having to remove walls and do just about everything all over again.

What makes it worse (if it could be any worse) is that we were nine months in and 95% finished with a whole-house renovation. Re-roofing was just about going to wrap everything up.

Better Preparation Would Have Prevented Damage

Of course, my wife and I are both very upset about this whole incident, but thankful that no one was injured. Ultimately, everything damaged is fixable.

What really gets us is that this all could have been avoided. Yet the contractor seemed unconcerned by the risk we faced when rain was forecast and disinterested in the distress we had to go through when disaster struck.

Our contractor never seemed to be looking out for our best interests during this whole saga. I can’t help but compare this to some of the stories I’ve heard from executives about their IT support experience before they came to VC3.

Just as you can’t throw a tarp on the roof and hope for the best, you can’t do a mediocre job of protecting your organization from cyber threats. Your plan needs to be solid because eventually, like the rain, a cyber intruder is going to find their way in through one of the holes. And when they do, you need a team that knows what to do to stop the damage and get you back to normal as soon as possible.

Our Clients’ Best Interests Are Our Best Interests

In our business, the best interests of our clients are our best interests, too. While there’s some opportunity for business leaders to weigh their options and make choices as we prepare their security strategy, there are some things on which we just won’t compromise.

We’ll never do less than what we think is necessary and call it good.

If my experience makes you wonder if your security posture is full of holes and cracks, loosely taped together and flapping in the wind, you should schedule a cybersecurity assessment.

You do that while I go look for another place to live temporarily.

Corey