Even with the constant development of new and powerful security measures, there are still many businesses that fall victim to the wave of cybercrimes floating around the internet today.

Over half a million Australian small businesses were attacked by cyber crime in 2017; and for every one in four businesses affected by online threats, the amount of downtime they experienced was on average 25 hours or more. That’s a huge loss of both time and money for any business regardless of their size or industry.

Network security is not only paramount to protecting your business’s vital information, but it also ensures business productivity in preventing any unexpected interruptions or downtime caused by hackers and other malicious cyber threats.

On that note, here are five useful ways you can enhance strong network security for your business:

Use Firewalls to Whitelist and Blacklist Users

Without restrictions on user access, anyone can connect to your business’s IT network given that they have the correct login details. When it comes to IT security, the risk is far too great to skimp on protective measures.

A next generation firewall can protect access within organisation at the user level. By implementing user firewall policies, you’d be able to control who can access your restricted network based on their user details – e.g. whether they’re a junior or senior level employee, contractor etc. Firewalls are also an effective preventative tool to protect business from hackers, trojan viruses, keyloggers and more.

Educate Your Employees

To keep malicious online threats and hackers out, you need to pay attention to what’s going on inside your business. This means monitoring and keeping updated with employee’s level of cyber security knowledge. It just takes one mistake from an employee to completely compromise your entire network’s stability. But such situations are easily avoidable through proper and regular education about IT security updates.

Some IT security services may run workshops for their clients to educate them about identifying malicious threats, deceptive emails, as well as many other of the latest cyber-attack methods. These workshops significantly reduce the potential risk of data breaches and enhance overall IT security of their business.

Set Up Strong Passwords

The logic is simple: the more difficult your passwords are within your network, the harder it will be for hackers to guess and gain access to your business’s valuable data. The types of passwords that are the most secure tend to appear the most random, unique and typically have spaces in them. How difficult you make your passwords will depend on the level of memorisation you’d prefer.

For larger business or networks that involve multiple passwords there are a range of password managers to choose from. They would constantly up-to-date with the best authentication methods to protect your network security and are always available to assist with any issues or concerns you come across.

Back Up Your Data

In the case of ransomware and other malicious threats that compromise the usability of your network’s data, the one solution to ease all your worries is to back up your business’s data. But bear in mind there are a wide range of ways to back up your data, all of which have pros and cons to consider. Nonetheless, backing up your data is essential. In the event of a disaster you can be restored in minutes rather than days.

 Keep Your Software and Firmware Updated

Most computer updates that are released are generally security patches against real day threats. You should ensure your systems software and firmware are kept up-to-date and also monitor any updates available for anti-virus and security software. All of this plays a huge role in significantly reducing the chances of hackers and other threats from accessing your business’s network.

Network security should be at the forefront of your business priorities as it holds together the entirety of your business’s stability. There are many ways to improve your network’s security through your own means, but if you’re looking for a sturdier and even more advanced approach of network security, the solution is to get in touch with IT professionals who are specialists in security solutions. Enhancing strong network security for your business can be made easy with the help of approachable, experienced, and reliable IT professionals.

Author’s Bio

Alex Morrison has worked with a range of businesses giving him an in depth understanding of many different industries including home improvement, financial support and health care. He has used his knowledge and experience to work for clients as diverse as Simple Biz, Cosh Living and Me Bank to help them reach their business goals.