How do you defend your data? Every day, opportunistic hackers search for cracks in IT systems, target sensitive financial/personal info, and extort companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Small/medium businesses are often among the most common victims (many think they have nothing worth stealing and therefore don’t implement security measures). As the sophistication and frequency of attacks continue to increase, here’s how your business can prepare for incoming threats.
1. Continuous Network Monitoring
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Set a schedule to check your software and operating systems for updates and apply them.
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Use alerts, vulnerability scans, and enterprise-level firewalls to detect and block malicious programs.
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Consider Managed IT services for 24/7/365 monitoring and IT support.
2. Off-site Backups
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Keep regular backups of all business data so that you can recover quickly after a cyber-attack.
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Calculate Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) to decide the backup frequency for your specific business needs.
3. Educate Employees
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Have quarterly discussions with staff about cybersecurity best practices so that they can act as “human firewalls”.
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Recommend employees create strong passwords and use different ones for different accounts.
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Train staff to beware of suspicious emails and enact policies that help them to report questionable content.
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“It has been estimated that one in 131 emails contain malware.”
4. Research Current Security Threats
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Involve a cybersecurity expert in every technology conversation to collect information on emerging threats.
Cyber-attacks are disruptive and expensive. Your business needs a proactive approach to protecting vital data so that your employees and customers stay safe after an attack.
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