Ways to Improve Cyber-Security for Your Business

Featured article by Susan Melony, Independent Technology Author

The power of modern technology has completely changed the game for businesses across the world. While companies of the past had to make do with the limited technology of the times, today’s businesses can make use of modern innovations, from state of the art smartphones to social media marketing and scalable cloud storage to hit their goals and grow their brand.

Technology gives every company so many new ways to connect with customers, raise awareness of their brand, streamline their day to day operations, and attain levels of success they might never have thought possible. It offers such a lot of advantages, but we also have to acknowledge the fact that computers, the internet, and digital systems come with their own risks and dangers as well.

Cyber attacks are taking place every single second, with tens of millions of these attacks recorded on a daily basis, and they can target absolutely anyone, from individuals sitting in their own homes to small businesses to huge multinationals. Hackers, malware, and cybercriminals are always out there, ready to infect your systems and infiltrate your devices. Here are some things you can do about it.

Consult with IT Security Consultants

Not every business can afford to have its own IT team in-house, working round the clock on safeguarding servers and setting up a strong cyber security system, and not every business owner has the time or inclination to keep up with the latest cyber threats and developments in the IT world. This is where IT security consultants can help.

Experienced IT experts are on hand, waiting to help you learn more about cyber security and offering a range of services to upgrade your business’ defenses. They can carry out audits and checks to test your networks and identify weak points, develop strategies that work for you, install and implement the strongest security technologies for your budget, train employees on how to stay safe, and more.

Firewalls and VPNs

Two of the best tools you can turn to in the battle against cyber threats are firewalls and VPNs, and it makes sense for any company to understand the advantages of these tools and make use of them whenever they can, as both will help to strengthen your connections and protect your devices against all kinds of digital threats.

Firewalls are among the most fundamental forms of cyber security, working to block suspicious traffic and prevent other users from effectively accessing your network and getting control of your devices. VPNs, meanwhile, are designed to encrypt all of your online connections and hide your IP address, making it much harder for hackers or criminals to spy on your activity and steal your data.

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware

Of course, no cyber security strategy can be complete without some sort of defense against viruses and malware too. After all, there are already countless forms of malware out there in the digital world, with many new types of viruses, ransomware, worms, and more being developed and released all the time.

Hackers are constantly cooking up new ways to infiltrate and infect the devices of other users, and they often target businesses, due to the many potential entry points and the possibility of a big payout if they can infect devices with ransomware or steal sensitive files. Anti-virus and anti-malware packages can help to identify malware threats and remove them immediately.

Employee Education

One of the simplest ways in which you can bolster your cyber security strategy in the workplace is quite simply to educate and inform your workers on the importance of staying safe when using different devices, as well as helping them learn about the best practices for cyber security, such as making strong passwords, not clicking on suspicious links, and being careful on public networks.

Even in today’s digital world, many people aren’t all that adept at staying safe online, and you may have employees or even high-level managers in your midst who make mistakes, such as using weak passwords, falling victim to phishing attempts, or forgetting to run virus scans. Holding courses, classes, and lectures on cyber security will help to remind everyone what they should be doing.

Final Word

With the average data breach costing companies several millions of dollars, the risks of cyber threats are clear to see and have to be taken seriously. You can’t simply go along, hoping that your business won’t be affected, and it’s vital for any company wanting to succeed in today’s world to have a sound cyber security strategy.