3 Ways to Keep Your Business IT Security Intact

 

It’s never been more important to plan, roll-out and maintain a robust network and digital network security strategy. Cyber criminals, the malware they deploy, the phishing emails they write and the fake websites they set up are getting more sophisticated and harder to identify and negate. Alongside this, as we navigate an online business world that communicates via social media and relies increasingly on data to run the day to day processes that inform our eCommerce transactions, communications and online leisure time we run the risk of falling foul of devastating financial, time and reputation losses. Focusing on keeping our digital infrastructures secure from the perils of cyber crime should be a priority to businesses regardless of their offering and their size. 

If you and your customers rely on data, personal details or sensitive information of any kind then you must keep your security watertight. How do you do this? In this article we’ll look at why keeping up to date is the primary goal.

Keep your software and hardware updated

Hackers love an open door and if you aren’t keeping your software and hardware updated on a regular basis then you are leaving your digital door wide open with a huge sign saying “Welcome all, our data is now your data”. Don’t do that; keep your doors as tightly shut as possible by ensuring that security patches, latest operating systems and updates are consistently, and preferably automatically, applied on all devices. Programmers generally try their best to keep their software safe from hackers, closing down loopholes with the latest code and if you don’t update regularly you’ll miss these updates and then you are vulnerable to attack.

Keep your staff aware and updated

One of your most effective weapons against potential cyber security issues is your team. Keeping them updated with the latest security protocols and plans means everybody can remain vigilant and understand the importance of keeping their devices, their regularly used software and their data updated and backed up. Invest in high quality cyber security awareness training for them, such as this ideal example: fraudwatchinternational.com/security-awareness/why-do-i-need-cyber-security-awareness-training-for-my-employees/ to give your team the requisite online security skills.

Keep your data backup strategies updated

If a nasty piece of malware slips the anti-virus net (if you didn’t keep your firewall or anti-virus software updated, for example) and makes it’s way into your system via an unmonitored email opening or other back door left ajar, it can take all sorts of disruptive and costly actions. Quite often they are designed to steal, disrupt or destroy data and if you rely on that data to operate on a daily basis then you could have a significant problem on your hands. You should always plan for a worst case scenario and this is achieved by regularly backing up your business critical data. Make sure this is done automatically and preferably keep a copy off-site too as it’s always best to take extra precautions with your data in case of fire or another hardware disaster.

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