No matter if you are a big or small organisation you need to take your cybersecurity seriously. Otherwise, you might be leaving the door open for criminals to compromise your business and cause issues.

No matter your size, you have at least a small amount of data that hackers can utilise. If that data then ends up in the wrong hands, your reputation can be in shambles and you may lose access to valuable information.

The good news is that every business can prevent this scenario by implementing some straightforward methods.

This article will share the 11 most effective strategies for improving your companies cybersecurity.

#1 – Don’t Ignore Software Updates

After receiving notifications that your software needs an update, you might consider ignoring it as you don’t know if it is legit or not? But, this can be a huge mistake as outdated systems are more at risk of hacking.

Confirm with your IT provider as to whether they regularly perform updates on your systems and if not ask them is it safe for you to do updates?

Click here for our blog article on updates and patching windows.

#2 – Secure Each Part Of Your Network

Phones, tablets, computers, laptops, printers and other IoT devices (cameras, sensors) are all ideal entry points for hackers. Separating these devices is a good way to limit the damage if one device is compromised.

For example, if you let employees bring their own laptops or tablets into work, consider separating those devices into a different network segment (known as VLANs). This way if an employee inadvertently brings malware into your network, the malware can’t get into your main network.

#3 – Upgrade Your Cloud Security

You may be using one of the many cloud providers (Microsoft 365, Google Apps etc) but have you made any changes to the security defaults? A lot of times the default security settings for cloud providers are very basic and a few simple changes can drastically improve security.

#4 – Use Anti-fraud services for Card Payments

Contact your bank or payment processor to see if they offer any type of anti-fraud service. This can help protect your finances and also shield the data of your clients to help preserve your reputation.

#5 – Backup Your Data

Ransomware attacks are a common form of infection. This type of attack involves cybercriminals encrypting your data and holding your business hostage until your pay a ransom.

To help eliminate this issue, backup your data to multiple locations on multiple media (ie an external hard drive and a cloud location). Also keep at least one copy of the data backup offline. This way if your data gets encrypted you can revert to your backups.

#6 – Only Use Approved Devices and Internet Connections

With COVID restrictions remote work is now more popular than ever. Yes, it can allow employers to lower costs, it has also increased security risks as employees may be using their own devices and/or networks that are not secure.

The problem can be alleviated by providing laptops and mobile devices (with data connections) and only allowing your staff to use them.

#7 – Staff Training

The majority of cyberattacks take place because of employee ignorance. Large enterprises with dedicated security teams and huge security budgets can be infiltrated via the careless action of one staff member.

Employees often click on suspicious emails, fall for phishing schemes or share their passwords without any second thoughts. Some do it because they think they are helping the businesses.

To overcome this, arrange for staff training and set up phishing campaigns and simulations so you can train your team members of what not to do and help prevent potential security breaches.

Cyber security should be the number one priority for everyone and not just your IT provider. With any training, you should emphasise that everyone should be working together to shield the workplace from attacks. With everyone on board, you are more likely to help stop any issues.

#8 – Develop Procedures When Dealing with Customers and Suppliers

Securing communication and data sharing with suppliers and new clients is essential. If possible, only allow communication from selected personnel. Also, double-check (via the phone or face to face) any major changes like bank account details before using them.

To further lower your cyber security lists, vet each person before granting them access to your system.

#9 – Restrict Employee Access

Remember that not all cyberattacks originate from outside your company – they can also come from within. To reduce the damage from someone within your enterprise, restrict user access to only the data they need for their job.

#10 – Regularly Check for Vulnerabilities

You don’t want to rest on your laurels and assume everything is fine. Instead, conduct regular checks to identify any weaknesses in your business’s cybersecurity. Doing so can help ensure that you patch up your vulnerabilities and upgrade your security system.

#11 – Incorporate Other Security Measures

Regardless of the number of security measures you have already implemented, there is always more! Remember that a layered approach to security, with a number of different prevention methods, is the best approach.

Next-Gen Antimalware Software

Antivirus protection is a must and is the most common tool to combat cyberattacks. It can block malware from compromising your devices and data. Newer generational security tools now can examine uses both old methods as well as newer behavioural analysis to spot and stop malware in its tracks.

Firewalls

Investing in a firewall hardware device is a great idea to help safeguard your business against hackers. They can screen out viruses and other harmful activities on the internet and determine the traffic that can enter and leave your network.

Yes, your Windows or Mac OS X computers has a built-in firewall but for maximum protection, you need a hardware one at the perimeter of your network.to minimize security threats.

Domain Names

Do you want to protect your brand’s domain name or is your domain name easily misspelt? If so, consider purchasing similar domains as this is an effective way to boost your cybersecurity. It will both protect you and your clients from accidentally opening spoofed emails or visiting fake websites that are purporting to be of your business.

Program Whitelisting

Consider creating a list of programs that your staff need to use to do their jobs.  Then implement a whitelisting policy so that only these programs can run on your devices. This will both stop malware from running and also help increase your staff’s productivity.

Keeping The Hackers At Bay

Improving your cybersecurity is a multifaceted procedure and isn’t always easy or straightforward to implement the approaches listed above. If you need help in ensuring your current setup is as effective as possible, contact us for a quick no-obligation chat. Let us talk about how we can help to keep your business safe by keeping the threats at bay.