Remote work, collaborative tools, and cloud applications in today’s work culture have put business security at risk. Most cyber-attacks go unnoticed for a long time before you can take any action. If you don’t take efforts to improve your company’s cyber security today, you might end up disrupting your business operations tomorrow.
Moreover, remote work has opened cybercriminals to new opportunities to hack into your company’s system. Businesses are more vulnerable to cyberattacks without the security protection provided by the office structure – the figurative castle walls.
Preparation is vital for dealing with attacks. However, most firms have failed to take critical actions to secure their operations for the shifting cybersecurity scenario. In fact, 60% of businesses have no security strategy or are unsure of its importance.
Data interception across unprotected connections is inevitable if you do not apply software patches or if your company’s VPN is not used. It’s not enough to plan for the risks you think you’ll face when building a cybersecurity strategy.
You should also make an effort to anticipate unknown risks.
In this article, we will talk about 8 ways to improve your company’s cyber security.
8 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Cyber Security
Here are 8 tips that will help you enhance your business’s cyber security.
- Know your risks
- Remove known vulnerabilities
- Don’t underestimate passwords
- Monitor staff’s personal devices
- Don’t forget about the physical threats
- Hire external and internal intelligence
- Organize phishing training sessions
- Establish data access policies
Read on to learn more about these tips in detail.
1. Know your risks
When it comes to cybersecurity, the repercussions can be felt throughout your business, from the tiniest tasks to your overall functioning. A breach of confidential data as a result of a cyberattack can erase your market edge.
An attack that steals personal data from customers can lead to a loss of public trust and income.
Therefore it is important that you know what risks your company faces. You need to stay abreast with the privacy laws of not just where your business is based, but also those of the places where you offer your service.
As an example, if your business caters to California, ask yourself ‘what is the California privacy rights act?’ If you don’t know the answer, it is time you reconsider your company’s cyber security strategy.
Even seemingly harmless information systems can be rendered useless by an attack that paralyzes them. This can severely limit your capacity to operate and interact.
2. Remove known vulnerabilities
Due diligence is required to solve the ‘known vulnerability’ problem. However, due diligence is time-consuming and can be tiresome. It should also be done in a risk-based manner, with IT departments collaborating with other internal decision-makers to set priorities.
These priorities must be based on your company’s ‘crown jewels,’ restrictions, and existing controls. Work to grasp what your organization’s workforce and technological expertise can do to remove vulnerabilities.
3. Don’t underestimate passwords
You obviously use passwords to protect your computer networks. However, if you want to get the most out of your password security, you need to pay attention to more than the unusual number and letter combinations.
63% of businesses do not change their company’s passwords regularly. That alone puts you at serious risk. You should also consider enforcing multifactor authentication, which needs more than just a single password to obtain access. Make it a point for your systems to require these passwords to be changed on a regular basis.
4. Monitor staff’s personal devices
You must count on what you have if you may not have the monetary capacity to provide computers, cellphones, or tablets to your staff. This might entail allowing employees to use their personal gadgets to access company data and systems.
If this is the case, don’t be hesitant to establish policies that enable your system administrators to regularly install security updates, monitor programs, and change passwords. Rest assured that compromising personal privacy isn’t necessary; nevertheless, protecting your company is.
5. Don’t forget about the physical threat
Addressing the software side of security isn’t enough. You must also look for physical security flaws that could allow an unauthorized person, a disgruntled employee, or an unsuspecting employee to disclose or steal sensitive data. Addressing potential flaws in physical security and access rights might be difficult at times.
Defining roles, duties, and processes for accessing data and physical spaces inside your company will help you advance your company on the right path.
6. Hire external and internal intelligence
Understand where and how cyber-attacks occur in your industry. Find new information sources. Then, within your industry and with partners, particularly with other businesses with whom you exchange data for business purposes, share that information.
Also, don’t forget to go deeper into your own data for important information. Maintaining a log of data-access activities, which you can follow and evaluate, can help you improve your overall security posture. It’s crucial to keep a close eye on and analyze your data traces.
Many businesses keep activity records for the sole purpose of ensuring compliance. Logs, on the other hand, can provide valuable information for spotting less visible risks to your company.
7. Organize phishing training sessions
Set up a phishing training course. This gives employees with online safety training as well as measurements of how their internet usage has evolved and progressed. These types of training should be done on a regular basis to keep everyone up to date on the latest data theft policies. This will secure your intellectual property and company data.
8. Establish data access policies
Tracking each employee’s cyber activities can be time-intensive and, in some situations, intrusive. Establish rules defining how employees should protect identifying data and other confidential material to alleviate some of the time and effort involved in investigating cyber activity.
This includes limiting access to specific data and providing layered authentication, which demands the use of multiple passwords, encryption, and security questions, among other things. Make sure your employees are aware of the consequences of breaking your company’s cybersecurity standards.
Setting up multilayer security can also assist keep critical data safe if your system is breached.
Wrapping Up
It takes time to become a secure, attentive, and resistant organization. However, it’s something that must be done if your company is to survive in the rising technology world and the ever-changing cyber threat landscape.
Creating a safe, proactive, and resilient organization necessitates not only these eight crucial tasks but also regular evaluation of how well you’re doing them. Constant evaluation of whether you’re doing them effectively and getting you where you want to go.
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