Over the years, the number of security threats that businesses face every day has grown at a rapid pace. To make things worse, even the best security measures cannot protect your business from these threats and attacks. However, no business can afford to leave things to chance because data breaches can cause heavy losses for them. Cybersecurity is, therefore, no longer a small IT function; rather, it is a vital aspect of the foundation of businesses.
If you fail to take appropriate steps to protect your data and systems, you may lose your revenue and reputation. So what do you need to do to protect your business against cyber threats? How can you make cybersecurity a priority throughout the company? Implementing the right security measures will help but you need to have well-defined practices in place. Here are cybersecurity best practices that every business should absolutely follow.
Make cybersecurity your culture
Cybersecurity is not just a project for your business. Rather, you should make it your culture. To start with, you need to have a well-defined policy and document it as well. Beyond that, you need to monitor and improve it consistently. Make cybersecurity a priority for your business and convey the message to every person who is a part of the organization. Lead by example and show that you are willing to practice what you preach.
Implement a BYOD policy
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) refers to the practice of allowing the employees to access the enterprise data on their personal devices. BYOD is common for businesses today as it enables connectivity and drives productivity. At the same time, it increases the risk of data loss because corporate files and information are available freely to the employees. Therefore, it is essential to implement a BYOD security policy that minimizes the risk of a data breach through personal mobile devices.
Audit and restrict access to confidential data
Every business handles confidential data, whether it is related to customer information or business documents. Limiting exposure cuts down the risk of data breaches to a significant extent. Therefore, you must make sure that the data is accessible only to the people who genuinely need it. As a part of the data confidentiality measures, audit the access privileges periodically and revoke access for the employees who no longer require it.
Educate the employees
Having proper cybersecurity policies is just half the work done. You need to educate the employees to make sure that they follow the best practices and policies stringently. Train them and make them aware of the new security protocols. Enforce strict discipline within the organization to make sure that every employee follows the security measures as a rule. Have them sign a document that lists the policies and states that they would follow them.
Take regular cloud backups of data
Any business data that is stored locally is inherently insecure. Moreover, the risk runs high if you don't have a data backup. The best approach would be to avail expert IT services to help your business grow with the right IT infrastructure and security measures. A seasoned team of IT professionals will provide regular cloud storage and backup solutions as a part of their services. Once you have duplicates on the cloud, you can recover the lost data any time you need to do it.
Encrypt data wherever possible
Another best practice to strengthen the cybersecurity for your business is to encrypt your business data. Strong encryption for your data prevents it from being viewed or used for malicious purposes, even if it gets stolen or compromised. Make it a practice to encrypt data, particularly when you transfer it over the internet or a shared network. Additionally, make it a point to encrypt backups and workstations for maximum protection.
Test your process
While you must have a cybersecurity process for your business, testing it is critical. If the system is not performing, you cannot expect it to keep your business secure. After all, a majority of data breaches happen due to human errors. For example, your business may suffer a major breach if the employees fail to implement the latest security patch for the vulnerability. Regular testing keeps the security systems on track and ensures that you are not leaving anything to chance.
Monitor, log, and act on incidents
Keep an eye on every single security incident, from unauthorized data access to suspicious application installations. Log and evaluate them to get a clear idea about what went wrong. Follow up even on the smallest incident that takes place within your organization. Spare no one and take disciplinary action for setting an example. Moreover, understanding the reasons for data breaches is important to identify the gaps and address them for good.
Install anti-malware software
Having proper policies and practices for your business matters. But you cannot forget something as basic as installing anti-malware software to keep your systems safe. Don't assume that the employees will not open phishing emails because they may still do it intentionally or unintentionally. Installing anti-malware software on each device and the entire network gives the system all the protection it needs.
Enforce strong passwords and multifactor authentication
Measures such as enforcing strong passwords and multifactor authentication might seem trivial but they can make all the difference. Educate the employees about using strong passwords and enforce the practice as a rule for everyone. Ask them to use a mix of letters, numbers and special characters for creating extra-strong passwords. Additionally, make multi-factor authentication settings a part of your network at all levels.
Cybersecurity is not just a business buzzword but the key to survival today. Even a small mistake can make you an easy target for hackers and falling prey to an attack is the worst that can happen to your business. So it is better to invest in a robust policy while paying attention to the current security practices and improving them wherever needed. This may require some investment but the results will make it absolutely worthwhile in the long run.
