The

$600

Mistake

That

Almost

Cost

a

Prescott

Business

$60,000

In the world of business, being frugal is usually a badge of honor. But sometimes, that "frugal" choice is actually a ticking time bomb.

Last summer, right as the monsoon clouds were rolling over Thumb Butte, a local business owner here in Prescott: we'll call him "Jim" to protect the innocent: almost learned this lesson the hardest way possible.

Jim runs a successful construction and contracting firm with about 25 employees. They do great work, their reputation is solid, and they rely heavily on their digital blueprints, client contracts, and accounting software. A few months prior, when we were discussing their managed IT services, Jim decided to pass on our Managed Backup Verification.

It was a $50-a-month add-on. Just $600 a year.

Jim's logic? "I already pay for a cloud backup service. It says it's automatic. Why would I pay you guys to check it?"

It seemed like a sensible way to save a few bucks. Until the Monday morning when the screen on his office computer didn't show his usual desktop wallpaper. Instead, it showed a bright red box with a countdown timer and a demand for $20,000 in Bitcoin.

The Monday Morning From Hell

When Jim called us, he wasn't just stressed; he was vibrating. Ransomware had snaked its way through his network over the weekend. Every contract, every blueprint, and every payroll record was locked behind a wall of encryption.