Maintaining good cybersecurity at your business is all about consistency. IT security best practices should be something that becomes second nature to your team, like brushing your teeth every day.
Unfortunately, some companies treat cybersecurity more like cleaning out their garage, it’s done every now then, but not with the consistency it needs to keep their business protected 24/7 from data breaches, malware infections, and other threats.
75% of employees lack proper cybersecurity awareness (HIPAA Journal)
Employee training is just one piece of the pie, good cybersecurity includes weaving multiple proven IT security methodologies into your workflows so that safeguarding your devices and network from attacks becomes second nature and just a way of life for everyone at your office.
Top Data Security Threats to Businesses
Just become things are quiet and you haven’t experienced an attack on your network lately, doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. An average of 55% of businesses in the Bay Area and around the country say they’ve experienced a cyberattack within the last 12 months.
If your technology defenses aren’t ready to be hit at any moment and defend against the attack, it can mean losses which add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in emergency IT costs, downtime and lost opportunity costs, and more.
The top cybersecurity threats that businesses need to defend against include:
- Web-based attacks
- Phishing/social engineering
- General Malware
- Ransomware (on the rise!)
- Database injection
- Compromised/stolen devices
- Denial of services attacks
- Zero-day malware attacks
Data Security Best Practices to Adopt
Maintaining good cybersecurity hygiene at your business means adopting best practices that make being secure a part of your daily workflow. Here are several proven practices that will significantly improve your overall data security.
Using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Weak or stolen passwords account for 80% of hacking-related data breaches. It’s difficult to enforce strong passwords across all company logins, and inevitably, someone will use “123456” or “password” for their login credentials.
By adopting MFA for all your business application logins, you guard against weak passwords by requiring another factor of authentication, like a code sent via SMS. So even if a password is breached, the criminal can’t get in when MFA is used.
Keep All Devices Updated
That large Equifax data breach that happened a couple of years ago and exposed the personal information of over 123 million people was due to an unapplied software update. The update that would’ve prevented the breach was released two months prior, but was never applied.
It’s hit or miss if you’re counting on your employees to keep all the different updates for firmware, operating system, and applications applied in a timely manner. Using a managed IT service that applies your updates for you can ensure your devices aren’t left vulnerable to an intrusion.
Use a Firewall
A firewall is often the first line of defense against a breach. Firewalls monitor network traffic and look for anything suspicious. They can identify malware and unusual activity and block malicious traffic.
Firewalls can also give you the ability to block dangerous or non-productive websites, prevent spam, and help thwart phishing attacks.
Backup Your Data Daily
The best protection against a ransomware attack is to have a reliable backup. It seems so simple, yet many businesses get lackadaisical about their backups. They plug them in and then forget about them, never testing their data recovery or checking to see if they’ve hit a glitch.
Managed backups take the stress out of data backup and recovery by keeping a watchful eye on your backups, ensuring that all devices in your office are backing up properly, and going through regular recovery checks.
Conduct Ongoing Cybersecurity Training
You can’t expect your employees to stay on their toes when it comes to adhering to data security policies if they aren’t provided regular and ongoing training several times a year.
Your last defense against a phishing email laden with a virus is the person whose inbox it lands in. By training your team on good cybersecurity practices and things like how to spot a fake email, you can enable them to be active participants in your overall IT security strategy.
Take Time to Create Data Handling Policies
What should someone do if a customer calls in their credit card over the phone? How should mobile devices be secured when they’re left at a desk or in a conference room?
Take the time to create strong data handling policies and put them in a manual that your employees can refer to. If they don’t know how they should handle data, you can’t assume they’ll put a passcode lock on their phone or shred a jotted down card number before throwing it out.
Get Help Securing Your Data & Sleep Easy
Skillio Networks can take a lot of the heavy lifting off your shoulders when it comes to securing your devices, network, and data. From managed backups to managed security updates, our IT support plans have you covered.
Let’s find a plan that works for you! Contact us today at 1-888-926-1985 or connect with us online.