We all want to protect our businesses. They’re a part of who we are, and it would be devastating if anything bad happened — including an unexpected cyberattack. But it happens. Businesses are attacked every single day. Some businesses are left in ruin.

Cybercriminals and hackers are rarely shy about the methods they use to attack their victims. Many of them are more than happy to share how they broke into a business’s network or how they walked away with thousands of dollars after successfully extorting a business owner whose company is now destroyed.

Out with the old and in with the new! For far too long, small businesses have taken an old-school approach to IT services and security. In other words, they wait until something goes wrong before they call an IT services company and request help.

Back in the day (think 1990s and 2000s), this approach worked, more or less.

Late last March, the infrastructure of Atlanta was brought to its knees. More than a third of 424 programs used nearly every day by city officials of all types, including everyone from police officers to trash collectors to water management employees, were knocked out of commission.