It doesn’t matter whether you run a huge corporation or whether you are a new start-up on the block because website threats and data loss can cause a huge amount of disruption to your business. If you do not have the appropriate security measures and procedures in place, then you may leave yourself open to severe consequences and this can be frustrating to say the least. As damaging as data threats can be, they can easily be avoided.
Write a Strategy
If you only have a vague idea of your procedures and your policies, then this won’t be doing you any favours. You need to have a formal IT strategy that is as detailed as possible. It’s imperative that your strategy lays out how best to protect your data and your resources, as well as helping you to know what you should be doing if things go wrong. An incident response strategy will help you to be one step ahead rather than two steps behind and it will also stop any rash, or heat-of-the-moment reactions that could end up making everything worse. Updating your strategy is also very important. There is no point in writing up a document, only for it to become out of date and obsolete after a year. Ideally, every time you add new tech, a cloud system or even a database, you should update your security strategy accordingly.
Protect Yourself against Malware
Ward off any potential data threats by trying to secure your network and your PC against malware. Malicious software can cause you a great deal of computer damage and it can also take over any unprotected machines you have without you having any idea. If you want to start protecting yourself against malware then you need to set up a firewall. Your router’s firewall will give you the first line of defence, so try and make sure that this is turned on where possible. PC protection is also important. Sophisticated software will protect you without compromising your performance overall. Look for protection that can help you to deal with things such as suspect websites, hacking, identity theft and more. If you want to take that next step, then focus on keeping your emails clean too. Anti-spam software will protect you from unwanted emails as this can also help you to keep your network secure in general. A cyber security engineer can help you here. They can then explain any questions you have, such as “what is a cyber security engineer?” and how they can help you in general.
Keep your Wireless Network Secure
If you have a wireless network, then you need to beware. Hackers are always waiting to pounce on any unsecured networks you have and most of the time you won’t know about it until it is too late. If you want to help yourself here, then you need to strengthen your router by trying to use the strongest encryption settings you have. You also need to turn off the broadcasting function as this will make your network invisible.
Safeguard your Passwords
Even something as simple as a password can easily be optimised to try and fortify your data. Sure, passwords may be a nuisance to remember but the more complex you make them, the more protection you will be able to provide yourself with. Make your passwords around 8 characters long and also try and embed numbers, as well as other non-standard random characters within them. This means that your passwords can’t easily be guessed. Of course, changing your passwords often will also be able to help you, along with employing random letters, numbers or even symbols. Having a password software will also help you here as it means that your team don’t have to worry about writing their passwords down.
Create a Plan for your Personal Devices
It’s vital that you stay ahead of the curve and that you also make yourself aware of the security risks that are often associated with your team bringing their own devices into work. Create a plan for your practice and also try and make sure that you are getting some protection against legal repercussions too. A clear and comprehensive policy that covers you for data deletion and location tracking can be very valuable, so don’t be afraid to look into this if you can. Additionally, businesses should look to see if they can make proper provisions for employees who happen to work remotely or even those who use their own devices as part of their roles. These practices can help you to boost your productivity overall and it can also help you to lower the amount of overheads you have too.
Software Updates
Hackers love to scan networks or even sites to see which software a company is running. The main reason why they do this is because it makes it easier for them to exploit the vulnerabilities of older versions. If you want to help yourself here, then you need to update the security settings for your device. You also need to let the updates happen automatically in the background as this will safeguard you against potential threats in the future.
Background Checks
You have to be vigilant in regards to hiring any new employees because you never know when an internal threat is going to happen within your company. Look into the background of your new employees and also make sure that you give yourself an idea of the type of person that they are. Be mindful of the changes in character of any employees too, as this could be indicative of any other issues.
Disposing of Data
Having the right measures in place to dispose of any data which is not required is critical. If you want to try and help yourself here, then you have to make sure that any retried or even reused devices have their contents emptied properly. This will help you to make sure that you are making the best decision and that your confidential data won’t fall into the wrong hands. Remember that reinstalling your OS or even formatting your hard drive won’t ensure that your files are gone and safe. You need to use an IT disposal partner as they will overwrite your data lots of times to make sure that your data is well and truly unrecoverable. As a business, you should also look into implementing a good data destructive policy as this will outline the protocol that you need to use.
Use the Cloud
If your business doesn’t have the time or the expertise to stay on top of any security updates that may require your attention, then it is always a good idea for you to look into a cloud service provider if you can. A reputable service provider will be able to store data as well as helping you to maintain software patches. They can also help you to maintain security as well. This can be a very good approach if you want to try and provide yourself with a good amount of protection.
Educate your Team
Everyone in your company needs to understand your security policy and they also need to know how to handle any potential security breaches. If you want to help your team then you need to try and send them on annual refresher courses and you also need to make sure that everyone is heeding the best practice possible throughout the entire company. If you don’t then you may find that you end up harming your own company and this is the last thing that you need. Annual refresher courses may seem like a waste of time but in reality, they are ideal if you want to get everyone on the same page.
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