The business world has undergone some pretty seismic changes over the past six months. As more and more workers have begun working remotely at home due to quarantine conditions, cyber attacks have risen. Companies are now facing an unprecedented challenge from the likes of malware, phishing and cyber attacks.
Companies are now beginning to have serious concerns about the security of employees accessing data, and other assets often on devices without the proper protection of security software.
The global pandemic may have accelerated the work-from-home revolution, but it’s also opened a portal for cyber fraud, and it’s only by putting the correct focus, training, and tools in place, that this risk can be mitigated.
Patch Your Systems and Software Frequently
All it takes is one clicked link to compromise the security of your network. So ensuring that your systems have the latest security patches, and that employees are aware of the importance of updates is essential. The threat of cybercrime is always evolving.
Criminals are always finding new methods of accessing a system, gaining false trust and overcoming security measures. This is why keeping up to date with security patches is so crucial.
If an employee’s system is running out of date software, they are leaving your entire network open to threats. By keeping on top of the latest fixes, there is less chance of a vulnerability being exploited by someone with a malicious agenda.
Train Your Employees
Employee training is a huge component in keeping your business safe. Your employees are the front line between your organization and cyber attacks. Ensuring that they know what to look out for, who to report things to, and what suspicious activity they shouldn’t engage in, will filter out a large part of the threat.
If people have not been properly trained, it’s easy to fall for internet scammers which are deceptively elusive. Threats may look very official, and use names and phrases particular to your business that are very misleading and can cause great damage.
By training all employees to identify these threats, you not only eliminate the risk of penetration, but as the most active users within your security system, your employees become your greatest asset in the organization. They can alert you to new threats, and improve the cyber threat awareness, to more effectively mitigate the chance of an outside entity breaching your firewall.
You can’t completely neutralize the risk, but investing in the correct, and ongoing training can minimize the risk of a security breach by making sure everyone is aware of signs of threats to look out for. Training can be ongoing, and periodically reviewed to ensure that everybody is up to date.
Encrypt Everything
One additional layer of digital security is encryption. Ensuring that systems and sometimes hardware have been properly encrypted keeps your business protected from lawsuits, regulatory fines, and damage to your reputation when a data breach occurs.
Your cloud data security plans should include encryption measures designed to safeguard the volume of data that you handle on a daily basis. IBM estimates that it costs $3.86 million to cover an average data breach.
That alone is enough to make business owners reconsider their security enforcement. Encryption uses logic based algorithms to act as guard points protecting the data you handle from hackers.
Work with an MSP
An MSP, or Managed Service Provider, can help you achieve your goals for IT security comprehensively, and economically. When you choose to work with one, you can have peace of mind that your digital landscape is constantly being monitored for potential threats.
This proactive approach will help to minimize the risk to your business through early detection, and update you on the latest developments in cyber security. Having an MSP as a resource will add expertise and skills that your business needs in a scalable way.
You can undergo a full network assessment to get a clearer picture of your IT needs, which is the first step in making sure your business is as secure as it can be. Maintaining a safe distance from cyber attacks is an ongoing procedure, and one that is best approached with a strategy in mind.
With an MSP you get dedicated support at a level that may not be possible in-house, access to solid working relationships with large providers, and the opportunity to fix your specific security concerns and flaws without completely interrupting your daily routine.
But most importantly is evaluating what would work best for your business, and implementing those strategies to avoid becoming yet another statistic.