Top 7 Cyber Security Practices For Your Business

We are living in a techno-world, where we often hear words like – data breach, cyber-crime, cyber attack, etc. Cyber-crime is lucrative and there is no barrier to enter this field. The threats faced by the organizations may be in the form of ransomware viruses, malware, opportunistic hacking, etc. Companies must follow cyber security practices and stay prepared for emerging cybersecurity threats.

Cybersecurity is the method of protecting and securing the connected devices from unauthorized or unintended access, obliteration, modification, and even data breaching. Small and medium-sized businesses often use web-based technologies to carry out day-to-day tasks.

No business is immune to cyber-attack, regardless of their size and industry. However, businesses can take precautionary steps to protect the data. Organizations can build a strong defense system to mitigate the potential damage caused by cyber-attacks.

In this post, we have listed 7 essential cyber security practices that every business should have in place to protect their data and devices from cyber-attack.

1. Invest in security systems

When considering investing in a quality securing system, many small and medium businesses might hesitate. It includes a strong anti-virus, malware detection, external hard disks to backup data, etc. Remember that making such an investment can save your company from the cost of being breached. Make sure to protect your devices at the office and home using strong security software.

It is also believed that employees never open phishing emails. According to a survey conducted by Verizon, more than 30% of employees open phishing emails. Hence, it is essential to install anti-malware software on all devices across the network.

2. Enable firewall protection

A firewall is a software and/or hardware that defend your devices against electronic threats by screening worms, hackers, malware and viruses. There are a variety of firewalls that organizations can choose. Make sure to select an ICSA certified firewall from a trusted platform. Most of the firewalls offer a user-friendly interface to diagnose and correct failures easily.

The firewall monitors the network traffic and blocks unwanted traffic. Users who travel frequently should have client firewall installed on their device so that the data remains safe when connected from on a public network. In short, firewalls are the first line of defense in network security that takes care of all the devices connected across the network.

3. Hire cyber security professionals

Cybersecurity professionals provide digital protection to your business and will ensure that the data secured from Ransomware and Adware. Cyber security solution agencies can provide comprehensive digital protection to your organization. You and your employees are at the risk of potential cyber-crime without the best solution. The cybersecurity solution providers will take care of everything from security assessment to optimization.

Make sure to choose a trusted and reliable company that offers a wide range of IT security solutions to help you enjoy optimum levels of cybersecurity.

4. Secure your networks

Many companies encourage employees to connect to the network using their home Wi-Fi or hotspot from mobile devices. The Wi-Fi access points and broadband connections can provide hackers a convenient way in. It is essential to use a variant of WPA with a pre-shared key.

Some Wi-Fi routers offer a Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) to connect the devices across a protected network. So, it makes sense for large organizations to use WPS so that each user can use individual credentials to log in to the Wi-Fi network.

5. Educate employees about cyber-attacks

Cybersecurity threats can often be dealt with easily with sophisticated technology. However, employees may sometimes be the greatest source of vulnerability. The biggest threat is the employees leave their devices unattended in public places like – restaurant, cabs, etc. To avoid it, you need to ensure that the IT security policy of your company is comprehensive enough to cover all sources of a cyberattack.

Check the employee’s cybersecurity knowledge before your business is hit by cyber-crime. Additionally, make cybersecurity training an important part of your employee onboarding process.

6. Backup data regularly

Regular backups protect the data against the risk of loss or damage due to hacking, malware, media faults or any other error. Make sure to keep the backup separate from the source i.e. computer, laptop or smartphone. If you don’t want to invest in expensive hardware, you should consider cloud storage solutions that provide your organization with web services along with data storage.

Backing up should be made an important part of your everyday business. The majority of networking solution providers allows organizations to back up the data automatically. Using these services will not only save time but ensures that you have all the updated files.

7. Audit privileged access

For years, organizations have protected sensitive information by building a fence around the important data that goes in and out via a single access point. The data is protected as long as the access points or boundaries are known. It is no longer effective in today’s scenario, as employees are given more rights and permissions.

To overcome this issue, organizations enabled Privileged Access Management solution to reduce the risk of cyber fatigue. Auditing privileged access enabled organizations to manage and secure privileged accounts and discover if any passwords have changed. A well-designed software ensures that you maintain the integrity of your privileged accounts.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your company away from cyber-crimes requires effective cyber security practices and techniques. Nevertheless, you can prevent the data from cyber-attack attempts by following the good practices listed above.

Strengthen breach vulnerabilities by having the right knowledge and engaging in right online behavior. A single-click on a corrupt link can allow a hacker to access, modify or even steal the most important information about your organization.