5 Proven Ways to Improve Cyber Security for Your Business
Many people believe that cyber-attacks mostly happen to big corporations in high-tech industries. The reality is that criminals don’t discriminate. If anything, they are fully aware that small businesses tend to have lesser security in place and go in for an easy strike.
One of the things that small businesses can do to improve their cybersecurity methods is to work with an IT support provider and consult them on a few steps that can really give their online presence a bit of protection. The following tips are simple ways for small companies to take advantage of better security:
Network security
The first thing small businesses should do is to employ a good firewall software, in addition to data encryption software. This is very important for those companies who often see cases of their hardware devices being taken outside the premises of their offices. For example, if you normally use a laptop from your local coffee shop, you will usually use the wi-fi network there. Connecting to an unsecured network is always a risk and so you should consider a portable hotspot instead. Hiding and securing the connection by keeping a Service Set Identifier hidden is the way to go.
Monitor any devices employees use
A lot of small businesses don’t really have the funds to finance personal laptops and devices for all employees in the company. In that case, the employees will usually resort to using the company hardware to access the company systems and data. This calls for very strict administration control, in order to guarantee that the data doesn’t end up being stolen. There are some monitoring software options out there that don’t necessarily invade personal privacy, but still offer protection and peace of mind that data is being used the way it should.
Password protection
Without password, cybersecurity would not be possible to employ. It is very surprising then just how many people seem to think that the process of securing data with passwords ends with making the password itself. It is equally important to consider the strength of the password, which means using more than just letters and numbers. A multi-factor authentication process with extra steps to accept any password is a good way to improve cybersecurity. Passwords also require frequent change, which is another step to implement in the security of your business.
Data access limit
It is always a good idea to know just what sort of data every employee has access to. And in order to have peace of mind, it is a good idea to have a plan for protecting said data, especially if it is of utmost importance to the company. For instance, limiting the access to certain information and have a multi-layer security measures in place with passwords, encryption and security questions really goes a long way. These are all security policies businesses should employ at all times, because that is the only way to preserve the integrity of company data.
Employees should be held accountable
Any of the aforementioned security measures will hardly work, if none of the employees of the company take the matters of cybersecurity seriously. The company should inform and educate their employees on such things, so that they can navigate online space in a safe manner. Holding them accountable is also a step in the right direction.
These are all good steps to take towards strengthening the cybersecurity matters of the company. Every manager should put focus on that so they have peace of mind about their important information.
