Featured article by Calvin Paige, Independent Technology Author
No business is immune from the many varieties of cyber attack that seem to be taking up more and more space in the headlines. Protecting yourself early is essential for any business that wants to protect itself and its customers from the threat of cybercrime, and how you choose to tackle the rising problem can make the difference between a successful data attack and one that fails. Essentially, no matter the size of your business, you need to be looking at your security procedures, software, and hardware on a regular basis in order to ensure that you as protected as possible at all times. This way, you not only indicate to customers that you take their data seriously, but you also cause criminals to think twice about attacking your systems. Criminals will always target those least protected, so what can you do to make sure that your business doesn’t become a victim?
Assess your data
Your first step is to look at the data that you store and ensure that it is kept safe and secure at all times. Whether you opt for off-site servers, utilize the benefits of a cloud system, or restrict yourself to intranet storage, your initial assessment will give you an indication of what you need to do to stay ahead of the cybercriminals. As well as storage, you also need to check the types of data that you keep, especially the data given to you in trust by your customers. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect in May 2018, and that’s going to mean added levels of protection for customers. You’re going to need to look at the ways that the changing legislation is going affect your data management.
Upgrade your security
You can never upgrade your security too much. Having additional security systems in place can not only help to beat hackers, but may also dissuade them from attacking your business altogether. An essential security tool is an up to date firewall, but for businesses who feel that a basic firewall is the absolute minimum and not suited to the task, there a number of options available. SonicWall technology is being used more and more as businesses benefit for the added protection that they can provide, and with tools like the SonicWall TZ400 now available, it’s in your best interests to upgrade and optimize where you can.
Staff training
All of the best security in the world is not going to protect you if your staff are not up to date on the latest changes to netiquette. While everyone believes that their password hygiene is impeccable, the truth is that the majority of data breaches are down to staff choosing weak passwords or lost connected devices. Initiating training sessions can help you to stress company-wide the need for strong password security, regular password changes, and the best ways to spot phishing scams. By keeping your staff aware and up to date, you seriously limit the hackers ability to find a way into your system and wreak their havoc.
Protecting data has become a fundamental element of business management, and if you want your business to continue its growth, then you need to take a long look at your security arrangements and assess whether you are using the best tools available.
