Last updated on January 8th, 2024 at 02:14 pm
Security risks are something that is present in many businesses and no company is immune from the rise in cybersecurity attacks in particular that seem to be occurring moreso.
The more solutions you can put in place to prevent your business from security breaches is beneficial. It’s good to be aware of the security risks that are posed to your business and how best to avoid them. Even big businesses are threatened by the worrying rise of cybersecurity.
Did you know that around 236.1 million ransomware attacks occurred globally in the first half of 2022? That’s an incredible amount of breaches and something you want to be mindful of when it comes to your business.
With all this being said, this guide will help you find effective ways to minimize and prevent damage caused by security risks. Here are some top tips to help prevent your business from damage in 2023.
Backup your data
Backing up your data is something that can prove highly effective when you’re perhaps in a situation where your network has been breached or files have been compromised.
When backing up data in real-time, you’re providing your employees with the latest version of the work they’ve been working on.
For some, losing certain files can be a major step back and for some, it can be a lot of money wasted. With that in mind, having your data backed up is a good way of keeping everything secure.
It’s worth speaking to your IT team about what improvements can be made to back up the data and if you’ve not got an IT team to hand internally, seek outsourced help.
With cybersecurity being a regular threat, it pays to invest in the help of IT experts who can set your business up with the right defences going forward.
Keep your backed-up data off-site
When it comes to your backed-up data, make sure that you’re storing it off-site. Why? Well, what happens if the office building burns down? What about a robbery where the backup drives themselves are targeted and stolen?
The last thing you want to do is to have all of your backup drives on-site where your business is located.
You should have somewhere that the data is backed up off-site and ideally, you may want to have a member of the operations staff to keep a spare at home at the weekends. This, of course, is optional and may pose more of a security risk than necessary.
When it comes to locations of data backups, consider the IT services you outsource and whether they have an option or provide that service themselves.
Secure all of your company devices
Your company devices should all be secure, regardless of how many there are and who they’re given to. It’s common for companies to offer company devices to a whole range of staff members.
From mobile phones to laptops and tablets, you will likely have any number of employees who all keep their company devices on them either in the office or at home.
It’s, therefore, necessary to introduce as many security measures as possible to protect these devices should they be compromised or stolen.
The right encryptions and password protection should be given to these devices and in cases where the device is stolen, the ability to wipe the data remotely should be possible.
While you would like to trust all of your employees to take care of their employee devices, that’s not always the case.
Assess the network security in place
How strong are your servers when it comes to potential security threats? Do you have the best firewalls in place to prevent cyber criminals from breaking through? As a business, it’s important to always be attentive to the changes that cyber criminals and cybercrime are making to catch people out.
As an organization, that threat is ever-present and so your networks should be rightfully secured from the threat of cybercrime itself. There are always improvements to be made, so it’s important not to drop the ball or your attention on this part of the business.
Incorporate two-factor authentication
A great way of adding an extra layer of safety to your security systems is by incorporating two-factor authentication. It’s become significantly more popular in recent years as it often doesn’t involve much more effort to doubly secure your logins online.
Two-factor authentication basically creates another layer of security when you’re logging into an account.
Firstly, you’ll enter the password and that entry will trigger a code sent to either your email or phone’s text messaging service. This code is then inputted into the prompt screen which then lets you into your account.
This level of security has helped many people prevent unwanted people from accessing their accounts when they’ve perhaps stolen a password.
Even though they have the password, they won’t be able to get in unless they have access to your email or mobile phone. This is unlikely, provided you’ve set another strong password for your email account that is.
It’s something you can add to most accounts nowadays as many online banking apps and social media platforms offer it. The more two-factor authentications you can set up, the better.
Train your staff in cybersecurity
It’s important to remember that not every staff member in your organization will know everything there is to know about cybersecurity. In fact, even those that are clued up about it may fall out of time with what’s been improved upon and what new threats exist in today’s cyber criminal world.
That’s why it’s useful to train all your staff regularly when it comes to the threat of cybersecurity. Phishing training is a useful practice to help those who are needing some guidance on how to spot these scams in their own work inboxes.
There’s a lot to cybersecurity and there are a lot of methods that these criminals use, which is why it’s important for your staff to know as many, if not all of them.
Put policies in place for staff
To help staff keep informed of the latest policies related to security in work, it’s important to update these policies and ensure they’re given to every staff member. That way, you can show as a business, that you’ve done everything possible to give your employees the best training and awareness possible.
Of course, human error is bound to happen but it also gives your employees a degree of responsibility and accountability. Security should be taken seriously in all aspects of the business, especially when it comes to cybersecurity.
As it’s not their own personal data, employees can be a little lax with the way they handle it, so reinforcing the importance of it with policies is bound to improve awareness in the workplace.
Encourage strong passwords
Finally, one of the most important and best practices for security online is to encourage the use of strong passwords. There are too many people out there who are currently using the same password for all their online accounts or creating passwords that are easily hackable.
It’s important that as a business, you’re ensuring all your staff is using strong passwords to protect their online accounts. This is important because these business accounts could otherwise become compromised.
Preventing your business from security risks is important and hopefully, this guide has provided a lot of guidance on the subject. Take these tips suggested and implement them into your own business so that it can remain protected by the online and offline dangers that present any company in 2023.
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