Cyber Security Practices
Many small business owners do not consider cybercrime a threat. They often rule out the possibility of a cybercriminal orchestrating a well-planned attack to get into their systems. Just because your business does not generate billions of dollars in revenue does not mean cybercriminals don’t have their eyes on you.
Studies show that small businesses are more prone to cyber attacks. Many experts cite a lack of effective security measures as one of the prime reasons why small businesses are a soft target for cybercriminals. To help keep hackers at bay, we, in this post, take a look at some best practices that can make a world of difference to your cybersecurity preparedness.
1. Educate your employees
Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for a window of opportunity that they can exploit to gain access to a business’ critical systems. More often than not, a callous employee provides them with this window of opportunity. To help your employees understand the gravity of the situation, conduct regular workshops and training sessions.
Invite industry experts to discuss trends in cybersecurity and the latest tools used by cybercriminals to execute cyber attacks. Make sure every employee including your IT support team members in London inculcates safe browsing habits. To educate your employees on how to react during a cyberattack, conduct live fire training exercises. Implement a plan to communicate cybersecurity information to different teams.
2. Use a firewall
Your firewall is your first line of defence against cyber attacks. A firewall works by preventing any unauthorised person from outside access the business’ intranets. Your firewall is the link between your local network and the Internet. It monitors the incoming and outgoing traffic and decides the users who should get access and those who should be denied permission to connect.
Every business, irrespective of its size, with a digital footprint, must use a firewall. Lately, many businesses, in addition to using standard firewalls, have started opting for internal firewalls. If you employ ‘work from home’ professionals, make sure they have a firewall installed on their home network. To help ‘work from home’ employees comply with regulations, instruct your cybersecurity team to provide firewall software and support for home networks.
3. Backup data at regular intervals
A foolproof cybersecurity plan does not exist. Even after your IT support team in London goes by the book and go the extra mile to close loopholes in your cybersecurity policy, you cannot rule out the chances of a cybercriminal circumnavigating security measures to get access to your systems.
An effective cybersecurity plan does not just detail steps that should be taken to prevent cyber attacks but also talks about the measures to mitigate loss in case a cybercriminal is successful in breaching security. To help ensure that a business hit by cyberattack does not lose critical data, experts advice backing up critical data such as databases, financial files and electronic spreadsheets at regular intervals.
Backup cloud data regularly. To ensure your backup is functioning accurately, test it regularly. If you find any issues, opt for a new backup. To avoid data loss due to an act of nature, use servers located in different parts of the world to store your backup.
4. Use anti-malware software
When it comes to lowering the risk of different types of cyber attacks such as phishing, password attack and IP spoofing, installing anti-malware software can make a world of difference. Do not just install and forget your anti-malware software. Instead, keep looking for updates that provide security against evolving threats.
5. Be careful when deciding who gets access to what
Make sure only those who work on critical systems get access to that particular system. Monitor your team members and third-party employees who have the most access. Have systems in place that allow your IT support in London to check who accessed critical data and when.