Businesses of all sizes have become more susceptible to cyber attacks in recent years, particularly since more workers are working remotely.
If you have never been subject to a data breach of any kind, then it may be hard to understand just how costly such an attack can be. Unfortunately, the fact is that, if your business is hacked and loses sensitive data, you could be faced with severe consequences and potentially even legal action.
Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to reinforce your security and hopefully prevent your vital information from being accessed by outsiders.
Carry Out Risk Assessment To Locate Weak Points
Before you start making any alterations, it’s a good idea to determine which areas of your business need strengthening.
To do this, you should consider conducting a risk assessment. In fact, depending on the industry you work in, this should be a regular company practice, to make sure you are complying with security regulations.
Once you have the results of your assessment, you will be able to see where your focus needs to be, going forward – whether your biggest weak point is human error, unsecured devices, connectivity issues, or out-of-date software.
Make Sure Your Staff Are Well-Trained
Despite their best intentions, your employees may sometimes make mistakes that could have the potential to lead to a loss of data. For instance, they may not know how to spot phishing emails, or they may be unaware of the dangers of downloading third-party software and apps onto company devices.
As a result, investing in staff training should form a vital part of your cybersecurity protection, to remove the possibility of human error from the equation as much as you can.
Update Your Equipment – And Your Passwords
We all know the frustration of turning on our computers, only to find that an update is required that will seemingly waste valuable minutes of our time.
The fact is, these updates have been created for a reason – to plug any gaps in your internal security and prevent viruses from infecting the system. So, annoying as they may be, making sure you update your devices whenever they require it is an integral part of staying secure.
On a related note, you should also be sure to update your passwords on a regular basis to help protect your data from potential breaches. Did you know that some companies make it part of their security policy to change their passwords every three months – or even on a monthly basis? While you may not wish to do it every 30 days, it’s still a good idea to change them regularly, and keep your passwords safely secured using a password manager.
Use Firewalls
Firewalls are a crucial form of defence against potential hack attacks, among other threats, which is why you need to make sure yours are always activated! As well as blocking hackers from accessing your vital information, they provide other functions, such as blocking so-called ‘trojan attacks’ and stopping keylogging software in its tracks.
Install Antivirus Software
To supplement the protection provided by your firewall, your business should also have antivirus software installed on all of its devices – including any tablets and company mobiles.
There is a range of antivirus subscription services available, so you can choose the plan that best suits your requirements and your budget.
Bring In Experts To Strengthen Your Defences
If you find the prospect of hacking and data breaches terrifying, but don’t feel confident in your ability to provide robust levels of protection, why not call in the experts? Hire an IT support company to provide a range of helpful cybersecurity services, from staff training to blocking malicious sites, filtering for phishing emails, securing your network, and providing server infrastructure support.
Store Your Data In The Cloud
If you are not yet au fait with cloud technology, then it’s high time you started familiarising yourself with how it works so you can implement it in your business. Storing your sensitive information in the cloud significantly enhances your levels of security and is a highly effective means of ‘backing up’ your vital information. You can, of course, also backup your data to a USB stick, but having it in the cloud is arguably even more effective, as a USB stick can be lost or misplaced.
Keep Tabs On Business Devices
Finally, if you have staff who work remotely, or who often travel for work, it’s important that you install safety measures onto those devices to prevent them from being breached. These measures can include tracking apps and tools that allow you to remotely lock the device, or even wipe off any sensitive data it may hold.
Make Cybersecurity A Priority
Cyber attacks are a real and ever-present danger. To prevent your business from becoming an unfortunate statistic, it’s vital that you begin implementing these defensive measures as soon as possible to keep your sensitive information safe.
Not only will you be well-equipped to fend off any potential attacks, but your customers will also be reassured that you take the safety of their personal information very seriously – which, in turn, will boost your credibility.