5 Expert Advised Cyber Security Measures for Businesses

Introduction

We all agree that cybercriminals are evil but skilled people who readily learn new ways to attack their victims. No individual, company, or organization can consider themselves 100% safe from their reach. Data breaches in the corporate sector are more common today than ever before. Unfortunately, even after investing in cutting-edge security software, hackers still get lucky with more sophisticated and innovative attempts. 

So, we have established that it is no exaggeration. The list of cybercrime victims doesn’t spare anyone. From government organizations, healthcare institutions, and educational institutes, no one is risk-free. Cybercrimes are reported by law firms, banks, manufacturing companies, and even ISPs like Charter Spectrum. And individual victims like us are a whole other story!

So, how can businesses invest in the right measures to eliminate cybercrimes? Let’s dig into some expert advice!

Invest in These 5 Cybersecurity Measures for Your Business

Install a Firewall and Anti-Malware Software

Your first line of defense in an event of a cyber-attack is a firewall. You also need to have anti-malware software and an instantly actionable plan in place. Cybersecurity experts highly recommend setting up a firewall as it provides a strong barrier between cybercriminals and your business data.

In addition, many companies have initiated the practice of installing internal firewalls. The primary external firewall along with a second layer of internal firewalls has proven to provide foolproof protection. Furthermore, make sure that employees working from home also install a firewall on their network to minimize vulnerability.

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This is a company’s responsibility to provide quality firewall software to its employees. Moreover, never assume that your employees will not be tricked into opening phishing emails. Make sure you install quality anti-malware software on their systems.

Consider Implementing Secure Password Practices

There has been a recurring history of data breaches happening due to weak, lost, or stolen passwords in various companies. Therefore, even if your employees find the practice of changing passwords irritating, you still need to enforce it.

Moreover, employees access emails, drives, and other business data on their personal devices from home. Such as smartphones and tablets. Make sure they are implementing those password policies on every device that they use to access your business data.

Furthermore, don’t forget to follow the prevalent password protocol to ensure good password strength. Use uppercase & lowercase letters, numbers, symbols, and so on. Ideally, change passwords every 2-3 months.

Lastly, take advantage of the innovative new features such as two-factor authentication.

Enlighten All Your Employees

First things first, your cybersecurity policy and practices should be clearly defined. Work of creating proper and practical policies to ensure better security. To implement all those policies and the ones we have mentioned, it is essential to enlighten and train your employees at every level.

Make sure you conduct training workshops and cybersecurity sessions. Educate every employee about the basic and advanced cybersecurity protocols practised in your company. We already know that cybercriminals are becoming savvier in unlocking new security standards. Therefore, your cybersecurity measures also need to keep improving. You need to stay ahead of the criminals.

Lastly, have a formal document in place that each employee of your company signs. This document should state that they are well-informed about the company’s security practices and policies.

Make Backing up Data a Regular Practice

No matter how intact and strong you think your security measures are, never rule out the possibility of a breach. If you see the history of data breaches, you will see the names of some of the giant companies of the world. Nobody thought they will ever be a victim of a hacking attempt. Therefore, a precautionary approach is equally important.

Experts highly recommend backing up important documents, files, multimedia, databases, spreadsheets, financial data, HR data, and so on. Moreover, also back up the data on the cloud. Store these backups in a separate location in case of a breach.

Consider Developing a Response Plan in Case of a Cyber Attack

As mentioned earlier, even the best of the best can be a victim of a hacking attempt. Therefore, think thoroughly about what happens if there is a successful hacking attempt on your company’s network. To recover from an unfortunate incident like this, you need to have a solid strategy. 

Therefore, make sure you devise an effective first response plan. A plan that is instantly actionable. Instead of freaking out at that time, you need to act fast according to a set plan. This will need well-thought planning and preparation.