The Simplest Ways Business Can Improve Their Cyber Security

Cyber security should be a priority for every business, although it seems that still isn’t the case.

16:23 09 February 2021

Plenty of companies fail to ensure that they’re protected from online harm, even though we’re now so immersed in the digital age.

 

Without the right cyber security practices, it’s easy to lose precious information and have your systems damaged. Fixing this could cost thousands, and that data might never be recovered, which is why it’s best to protect yourself sooner rather than later.

 

If you know that your cyber security isn’t up to par and you want some simple but effective ways to change that, you’ll want to follow these six suggestions.

 

Put Protections In Place

 

With cyber security, it should be pretty clear what your first task needs to be. There’s all manner of programs out there designed to defend your systems against attacks, and it’s vital that you use some of these on your devices.

 

Without anti-virus software and firewalls in place, your business is at risk every time someone in the office goes online. The potential danger is even greater if they go on a website that doesn’t have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) which encrypts internet activity and essentially keeps the user safe.

 

What kind of software you’ll want to have on your devices will depend on your needs and what you feel you can trust. However, whatever you go for should benefit your business, although there are instances when it may not be vital.

 

Ensure Everything Is Up To Date

 

One of the best ways to keep your systems safe from online intruders is to ensure that all your software is up to date. The newest versions are always the most secure, so if something isn’t updated, it’s more vulnerable to attacks.

 

Obviously, it depends on the amount of software you have, and whether any of it is tailor-made, as to how easy it is to check and update everything. Smaller businesses ought to find this task a lot simpler because their digital environment is bound to be less crowded. A company with dozens of devices that all need software updates may require a lot of time and patience before everything is as it should be. That’s why it’s essential to have other protections in place.

 

Receive Professional Training

 

For cyber security to be effective, you need to do more than just have the right protections in place. All employees need to understand how they can stay safe online, so they don’t unintentionally put the company at risk.

 

The best way to ensure staff have this education is to hire professional help to give them cyber security training. Any company that specialises in online protection will have all the necessary know-how that your employees need to do their jobs safely.

 

Texaport are an excellent example of this, specialising in in-house cyber security training that is high-quality and meets government standards. By providing ongoing support that keeps everyone up to date on the latest threats and protective measures, they’ll ensure your business is secure and ultimately save you money.

 

Encrypt Your Data

 

Your data is incredibly valuable to both you and your employees, which is why it should be protected at all costs. A good way to boost this information’s security is to encrypt as much of it as possible. By doing this, you ensure that people who want to try and steal it have an even harder job of getting their hands on it.

 

You may also wish to receive professional guidance with this, as expert help can ensure the encryptions are as foolproof as possible. While your operating system may well have something in place that you can already use, this might not be as effective as you need it to be. A specialist should be able to tell you if that is the case.

 

Use Two-Factor Authentication

 

Setting a strong password is something you’ve probably heard about tons of times when it comes to cyber security. It’s a very basic concept that is supposed to give you a greater level of security against hackers. Unfortunately, strong passwords aren’t always as reliable as we’d like them to be.

 

While it is beneficial to use passwords that feature capitalisation, numbers, and symbols, this alone isn’t impossible for other systems to crack. In fact, the only people it really puts at a disadvantage are those who have to remember the password. Instead, what you want to do is use two-factor authentication wherever possible.

 

Essentially, this prevents anyone from accessing your information without breaking through two levels of security. The first tends to be a password set by the user, while the second is often a password sent to their phone. Through this, a person can significantly reduce the risks of getting hacked, hence why it’s so beneficial for businesses to employ.

 

Move Data To The Cloud

 

Rather than relying on a physical server moving forward, it may benefit you to transfer everything to the cloud. Among it’s many other benefits, it can be a safe alternative to your current operating system. You might be hesitant to believe that, given that you’re essentially putting your information online. However, the cloud is more secure than you may think, especially when compared to your hard drive.

 

This can be a useful solution if many employees use their own devices for work. Normally, using a computer or tablet that you can’t control would be a security risk for your business. However, if you utilise the cloud, the only thing you’d need to focus on is securing the login information. Everything else should be safe and encrypted.

 

Cyber security threats are always evolving, which is why it’s important to employ as many relevant safety practices as you can. With these in place, the risks of having your information stolen and your business put in danger are significantly lower. That means you can focus more attention on bringing in money, rather than pulling your hair out over the thought of being hacked.